


Virtues

by GleeCastOST



Series: Vices and Virtues [2]
Category: Warrior Nun (TV)
Genre: AU, Angst, F/F, Fluff and Angst
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-14
Updated: 2020-12-02
Packaged: 2021-03-09 23:33:26
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 15
Words: 30,106
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27554653
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/GleeCastOST/pseuds/GleeCastOST
Summary: After an extended, but mysteriously well-financed legal battle, Vincent finds himself a free man. With Adriel's backing, the two of them are dead set on revenge. Of course, this plot coincides with the group's next heist - an even bigger target than the last. Will Beatrice's brilliant plan keep them safe from danger or will the conflict blow up spectacularly?
Relationships: Shotgun Mary/Shannon Masters, Sister Beatrice/Ava Silva, Sister Camila/Sister Lilith (Warrior Nun)
Series: Vices and Virtues [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2010868
Comments: 66
Kudos: 168





	1. Ice Ice Baby

**Author's Note:**

> a sequel, fuck it!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! KACHOWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWw

“I kind of don’t want to go back…” Ava whispered from Beatrice’s warm embrace. The two of them were curled up in the early morning sunlight. 

“I know.” Beatrice pressed her face into Ava’s collarbone, savouring the contact. 

“I’m excited to see everyone, but… Well, maybe it will be springtime when we get there?” Ava’s optimism was endearing, but unrealistic. 

“It’s early February.” Beatrice couldn’t help but chuckle. “It will probably still be snowy for another month.” 

“Ugh…” Ava clung on a little tighter. “At least I’ll have you to keep me warm.” 

“That’s true.” Beatrice tucked a stray strand of hair back behind Ava’s ear. “Aren’t you the least bit excited about work?” 

“Yeah, actually.” Her smile was telling. “I hate how much I love it sometimes.”

“You and me both.” Beatrice stretched in Ava’s grasp and checked the time on her phone. “We should probably start getting ready, though.” 

“Boo!” Ava giggled as she climbed out of bed. Beatrice looked on, in awe of Ava’s sun-kissed form. 

“What are you looking at?” Ava winked as pulled on a shirt. 

“I…” Beatrice struggled to find words for a moment. “You.” 

“Very eloquent. You must be a genius.” Ava replied with a grin as she left the bedroom and padded down the hallway, though she neglected to put on any pants. A moment later, Beatrice heard the coffee machine turn on. 

“You know, you’ll probably have to wear pants on the plane.” Beatrice whispered as she stood beside Ava in the kitchen, preparing a cup of tea. 

“An unfortunate rule, truly.” Ava smiled, but her face fell a moment later. There was something more serious that she wanted to talk to Beatrice about.

“What is it?” She could sense Ava’s sudden change in mood. 

“I have… Something I want to ask you.” 

“Okay?” Beatrice wasn’t sure if she should be nervous or not. 

“Given what happened… With Lilith and… You getting shot…” Ava paused, her eyes firmly fixed on the bullet that hung around Beatrice’s neck. The bullet that seemed to kiss her bare, bronzed skin… “Have you reconsidered your practice of withholding information?” 

“I’ve given it some thought.” Beatrice had wondered when this inevitable conversation would be happening. She would likely have it again once they returned to Chicago. 

“And?” 

“And I don’t know. I’m sorry. I wish I had a better answer for you, but I don’t.” She sighed. After a beautiful, relaxing trip, the stress of work was creeping back into the edges of her psyche.

“Why?” Ava’s question was no more complicated than it needed to be.

“I’ll admit, what I did was really  _ fucked up. _ There’s no getting around that.” Beatrice met Ava’s dark eyes, her curious gaze. “But it is more dangerous to reveal everything from the start.” 

“I know, but is it worth the cost?” 

“Perhaps… There likely won’t be another plan so extreme, so it may not matter in the future.” Beatrice’s answer was delivered pensively, yet Ava had no reason not to trust her. 

“That’s fair.” Ava’s smile returned. “On a lighter note, what else are you looking forward to?” 

“There’s a bunch of places in the city I’d like to visit with you.” Beatrice replied without a moment of hesitation. The two of them sat side by side in the window, watching the waves roll in along the beach as they spoke. 

“Anything else?” 

“I wouldn’t mind getting back in the ring. It’s been a few months. I’m probably rusty. Plus, I have to re-establish dominance after Camila beat me.” Beatrice added. 

“I doubt you’re rusty.” Sure, their vacation had been blissfully free of violence, but Beatrice had been getting plenty of exercise. “Maybe I’ll get in the ring!” 

“Really?” Beatrice was more than a bit surprised. 

“No, I was joking. I think it’s terrifying.” Ava admitted honestly. “Maybe it’s just because I’m not a good fighter… But even if I was, I don’t know.”

“I understand.” Beatrice held her hand over Ava’s. “You can always come get drunk and watch.”

“Hey!” Ava protested while Beatrice laughed. “That was  _ one  _ time!” 

“I know, I know.” Beatrice rose from her chair. “I’m just teasing you. But seriously, we should get dressed.”

“Ugh…” Ava groaned but she followed Beatrice back to the bedroom. 

A few hours later, they sat beside one another, looking out at the ocean below. “Thank you again, for taking me here.” Ava whispered, with a glass of champagne in hand. 

“Thank you for coming with me.” Beatrice responded with a matching glass. They were flying back to the city via private charter, because why not? Between the two of them there was money to burn. 

“Maybe after our next job we could go on another trip?” Ava suggested as she turned to face Beatrice. 

“Did you have anywhere specific in mind?” 

“Nope.” Her grin was infectious. “But I trust you.” 

“Okay…” Beatrice’s thoughts were already whirring, this would certainly be a hard trip to top. 

“Obviously we have more important things to focus on first.” In true dramatic, Ava fashion, she waved a hand in front of her face. “Focus. Work stuff.” 

“Did that help?” Beatrice raised an eyebrow. 

“Not particularly, there is a very distracting woman sitting beside me.” 

“Oh? Do you want me to ask her to move?” 

“That was good!” Ava’s laugh filled the cabin around them. “Funny.” 

“It seems you’re rubbing off on me.” Beatrice observed, though she didn’t hate the change in herself. “I have ideas, though. But without my notes or resources, I couldn’t pursue them further. Yet that’s okay, because this trip wasn’t supposed to be about work.” 

“Are you going to let me in on these plans when we get back?” 

“The parts you need to know, yes.” 

“And we’ll resume fighting lessons?” Ava wondered. 

“Yes.” Beatrice considered making a joke, but decided not to. Ava’s safety was a top priority for her, not a laughing matter. They had plenty of time for fooling around, among other things, but Beatrice refused to gamble with her safety. 

“And Camila can help me use a computer better?” 

“I’m sure she will if you ask her.” Beatrice replied with a soft smile.

“I should probably learn to drive, too.” Ava mumbled, a slight blush creeping across her cheeks. 

“Let’s focus on one thing at a time, okay?” Beatrice set a hand on Ava’s knee. “You don’t need to become a superstar overnight. No one expects that.” 

“I know, I know.” 

“There’s more that you’re not saying.” Beatrice posited quietly. She learned Ava’s behaviour more intimately by the day. 

“You’re impossible.” Ava grumbled, clearly frustrated with Beatrice’s ability to see through her. “I just feel like a weak link. All of you have been so welcoming, but I just feel as though… As though I’m not pulling my weight. Or performing to my full potential, perhaps?” 

It was a gutsy admission to make and it displayed the honesty that Beatrice was so fond of. “Ava. None of us just fell into these positions. Each of us spent years cultivating skills and practicing to become better. Give yourself time, okay? You’ve already grown so much, even in your short time with us.” 

“You really think that?” Ava looked as if she could cry. 

“Yes, of course! I wouldn’t lie to you.” 

“Okay…” Ava seemed content with that answer and leaned back in her chair. 

“Okay…” Beatrice echoed, leaning her head onto Ava’s shoulder. They were both tired - neither woman got much sleep the night prior. “Did you have fun?” 

“Between both trips?” Ava’s smile was audible in her voice. “I’ve literally never had more fun in my life. And I’m not exaggerating, either.” 

“I’m really happy to hear that.” Beatrice whispered, feeling the same. 

Between the exhaustion and the champagne, both of them managed to find slumber, only to be woken upon landing. “Ugh…” Ava moaned, as she reluctantly cracked open her eyes. 

“Agreed.” Beatrice mumbled. It was dark outside, but unmistakably snowy. Cold. 

“Here.” Ava passed Beatrice the sweater she had been laying on and then pulled out one of her own. 

“Thank you.” 

And cold it was. Both of them inhaled sharply as they stepped out of the airport and into the freezing night. It was so cold the air seemed almost brittle, fragile even. Icy clouds marked their hurried journey to the car.

“Ah! Turn on the heat!” Ava yelled as she climbed into the black luxury vehicle.

“I am!” Beatrice shouted uncharacteristically, sharing Ava’s panic. 

“Oh my  _ God… _ ” Ava held her hands over the vents. “This is horrible. We should have stayed away until May.” 

“Honestly, agreed.” Beatrice stretched a hand around Ava’s seat and turned around, carefully backing out of the parking spot. 

“Can I stay with you tonight?” Ava asked sheepishly as they headed for the main road. 

“Hmm… I don’t know.” The corner of Beatrice’s mouth turned upwards in a poorly disguised smile. “I don’t think it would be proper.” 

“I regret asking.” Ava crossed her arms in a feigned pout. 

“You don’t need to ask!” Beatrice caught Ava’s gaze. “You’re welcome any night and every night. We’ve been living together our entire vacation, anyhow.”

“I still can’t believe it sometimes…” Ava’s voice dropped to a near whisper. 

“What?” 

“That you… That we’re…” She seemed to struggle to find the words. “I don’t know. When we first met, I was ready to resign myself to be a painful crush. Yet, every day you love me with the same intensity that I love you.” 

“I could say the same.” Beatrice admitted.

“Funny how that works out sometimes, isn’t it?” 

“That’s certainly one way to put it.” She recognised Ava’s deference from a mile away. It was clear she wanted to steer the conversation back towards a less serious topic. “Why don’t you text the group message and let everyone know we’re back?” Beatrice gently suggested. 

Ava:  _ the eagle has landed! _

Camila:  _ YES!!!111! CANT WAIT TO SEE U _

Lilith:  _ Welcome back.  _

Mary:  _ cant wait to catch up! _

Shannon:  _ I hate to ruin the festivities, but I just got terrible news from Superion. We might be in big trouble. Meeting in the living room, ASAP.  _

“So…” Ava felt her heart flutter with nervousness. “Everyone was excited, but Shannon just texted that she has terrible news from Superion and that there is a meeting as soon as we get there.” 

“Oh…” Beatrice sounded disappointed, but not surprised. 

“You don’t know what it is, do you?” Ava didn’t miss her tone. 

“I don’t  _ know,  _ but I have a few suspicions.” Beatrice told Ava darkly. “Our last job left more than a few people angry - and for good reason. It’s not unrealistic to think someone would be holding a grudge.” 

“Are we in danger?” Ava hated how scared she sounded. 

“I don’t have enough information to answer that.” Beatrice loathed her sudden descent into overly analytical speech, but it was a defence mechanism of her own. 

A few tense minutes later found them in the familiar parking garage of their apartment building. With trepidation in their movements, both women withdrew their bags from the trunk and climbed up the stairs. The buzz from their trip was all but mangled, a dashed happiness on the icy rocks of Lake Michigan. 

“Welcome back, it’s nice to see you both.” Shannon greeted them as they entered the lobby, though her face was devoid of happiness. Their friends sat on the couch, looking equally crestfallen. “I’m sorry to welcome you back like this…” She continued. “But we have a problem. Vincent managed to avoid sentencing, somehow, and now he’s hellbent on revenge.” 

“How?” Beatrice’s eyes were wide at the implications. Sure, she expected the Maglione Family to be angry… But Vincent, and by extension, Adriel - that was another story all together. A much more dangerous story. 

“Superion is digging into it now.” Shannon answered. “Of course, we have to assume the worst, until we know otherwise.”

“Actually…” Beatrice, unlike every other woman in the room, had a hopeful glint in her eye. “This might be advantageous, actually. We can use this…”


	2. Transcripts and Contingencies

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's clear that Adriel wants revenge, but Beatrice has contingencies in place.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> not the most exciting chapter i know, but we are building OKAyYYyyy

Early morning found everyone gathered in Superion’s office. It was clear that no one had slept much. 

“I shook down as many contacts as I could last night.” Superion began solemnly. She was exceedingly well-connected, and respected, amongst the city’s other  _ families. _ “They’re planning something, something big… This won’t be a random hit - they want to wipe all of us off the map entirely.” 

“ _ Christ. _ ” Mary whispered. 

“No.” Beatrice replied. “This is good news.” 

“Please explain.” Shannon requested.

“Well, for starters, it means we have time. We killed all their best people or has everyone forgotten that?” Beatrice paused, but no one answered. “There was always a distinct possibility that Vincent would escape prosecution, thus, a contingency plan was put into place.”

“Of course.” Superion replied. “I should have known.” 

“Camila? Would you explain the computer I asked you to set up several months ago?” 

“Oh!” Camila bounced slightly as she dove into an explanation. “In our preliminary planning, Beatrice asked me to build a server grade computer with an extreme amount of storage… Of course, I chose enterprise drives because they -”

“Jump to the point, Cam.” Lilith suggested gently, with a hand on Camila’s shoulder. 

“Basically, there is a hidden, always online, mass storage computer hidden in this building. Only I know where it is.” Camila looked at Beatrice. “Why?” 

“And Lilith, when you were working with Vincent’s crew, what did I have you do?” Beatrice prompted. 

“I hid a bunch of bugs, in nearly every room in their compound.” Lilith answered simply. 

Ava watched as everyone realised what Beatrice had done. “Of course, we’ll have hundreds of hours of audio files to go through, with more coming in obviously, but it should give us an advantage in dealing with this.” She concluded. 

“Why do I feel like you have something to add?” Mary was in awe, but also understandably cautious. 

“Well…” Beatrice’s sly smile made Ava’s heart pound. “If we could use their plans against them, theoretically, we could rob Adriel of his assets entirely.” 

“Isn’t that a bit risky?” Camila asked. 

“Undoubtedly.” Beatrice nodded, well aware of her family’s apprehension. “And there are a ton of variables to account for. I’m just proposing it as a possibility.” 

“We don’t even know where Adriel lives…” Shannon announced, though everyone except Ava already knew that.” 

“Actually, I have a few leads on that.” Superion told her. “I haven’t pursued them, since it wasn’t a priority… But Beatrice’s plan, or at least potential plan, changes that.” 

“If Superion can find his real address, what are everyone’s thoughts?” Shannon addressed the group. 

“I’m in, tentatively.” Mary answered first.

“Same, but I’m not shooting anyone this time.” Lilith replied. “Well, none of us at least.” She clarified, earning a guilty nod from Beatrice. 

“Me too.” Camila added. Everyone looked at Ava, who had remained silent during the entire discussion thus far. 

“I didn’t realise I got a say!” Ava retorted, once she realised everyone was waiting for her response. 

“You’re part of the family now, are you not?” Shannon raised an eyebrow, though she smiled too. 

“Okay, okay.” Ava held her hands up and Beatrice watched her intently. “This plan is still in its infancy, but I’m in. If Adriel is even half as bad as I’ve heard, I wouldn’t mind robbing him blind.”

“Well, that settles it then.” Superion concluded. “Where do you suggest we begin?” 

Beatrice didn’t answer immediately. There were too many variables to give concrete assignments to anyone. 

“Camila, can you start going through the audio and search for details on their plan? Or anything that might be pertinent?” She requested kindly, to which, Camila responded with a nod. “Lilith, I know you have some data on Adriel’s money laundering businesses, but do you think it would be possible to create a fuller picture of his assets?” 

“It’s possible, sure.” Lilith shrugged, though she was growing excited at the prospect of such a high stakes job. “I’d need a few days at least.”

“That’s fine.” Beatrice closed her eyes for a moment, clearly deep in thought. “Mary and Shannon, can you both assess the security here and at home?”

“Of course.” Shannon answered. 

“And provide me with an index of our current weapons in both locations. I’m fairly certain that Adriel’s team doesn’t know where we’re operating from, but it would be stupid to neglect our protection at a critical juncture such as this.” 

“Agreed.” Mary said, thankful that Beatrice was prioritising the safety of the team. 

“Ava…” Beatrice began. “Until we know more about Adriel’s security, can you help Camila? I’m sure she would benefit from an extra set of ears.” 

“Yeah.” Ava agreed. She felt slightly embarrassed that she didn’t have as many skills as everyone else, but she didn’t show it. 

“I’ll start tracking down my leads.” Superion announced as she stood up from the desk. “I trust the rest of you will be getting to work.” She crossed towards the door, but paused before leaving. “And I shouldn’t even have to say this, but  _ be careful. _ ” 

A few minutes later, Camila led Ava down a back hallway. “Thirty one, thirty two… Thirty three.” Camila stopped and turned towards the wall. 

“There’s nothing here?” Ava was understandably confused. Camila only laughed and took the map down from the wall. Behind it, a safe door. “Oh. Clever.” Ava couldn’t help but wonder what other secrets were hidden down here. 

“Beatrice told me to make sure no one knew where this computer was.” Camila explained as she quickly keyed in the code. Inside, a bristling PC, complete with whirring fans and blinking lights. With deft movements, Camila unscrewed the side panel and manually copied all the data onto a drive in her hand. 

“Can I ask you something?” 

“Sure.” Camila replied, shutting the safe. 

“After what happened with Lilith and everything…” Ava felt nervous to even ask. “Do you want to know every piece of the plan now? Or do you still trust Beatrice implicitly?” 

“I’ve thought about this a lot.” Camila’s footsteps echoed gently against the hardwood floors. “I was beyond angry at the time, though I understand why Beatrice did it. And Lilith agreed to it before, so…” She paused to unlock her office. “Ultimately, I do trust Beatrice. I think she learned from that experience and would be hesitant to repeat it. Why do you ask?” 

“I…” Ava didn’t necessarily have a good answer. “I know it’s for safety. That makes sense. And I trust Beatrice, obviously. I don’t know. It’s stressful, I suppose. It’s a burden she carries alone.” 

“Not entirely. Superion gets the entire plan as well. Or at least, I think she does…” Camila trailed off, both lost in thought and distracted. “Have you talked to her about it?”

“Kind of, but not really.” Ava admitted quietly. 

“That might be a better place to start.” Camila chuckled. “I’m going to write a quick script, to scan this audio for certain keywords. Then, we can listen to any sections that get flagged.” 

“What…?” Ava had assumed that they would just listen to  _ everything,  _ no matter how long it took. “You can do that?” 

“Work smarter, not harder.” Camila replied as she typed. “Oh! I’ll run this through voice to text software too, that way we can read the flagged sections.” 

“That’s really smart.” Ava whispered.

“Thank you!” Camila replied earnestly. “I know you’ve come back into what is essentially a crisis, but I would love to catch up sometime soon.” She smiled as the printer came to life beside her. 

“Me too.” Ava returned the smile. 

“Alright!” Camila pulled a thick stack of papers from the printer and clipped them together. “Here’s the last three days of transcripts. Thankfully, Beatrice and Lilith had the foresight to use bugs with programmable signatures, so we know which room each feed is from.” She handed the hefty file to Ava. “I’ve included the flagged words at the top, they should show up in bold.” 

“Thank you.” Ava began flipping through the transcripts immediately. 

_ File No. 395 - Vincent Office _

_ Time - 18:44 _

_ Date - Jan 31 2019 _

_ “You’ve really fucked up this time, haven’t you Vincent?”  _

_ “I -” _

_ “No. Seriously?! You’re really going to try and defend yourself? I was trying to distance myself from everything to let some pressure from the feds cool down and what?! What happens?”  _

_ “We were -” _

_ “Don’t interrupt me. You let a spy into our midst and all our top people were killed in a single job. And, because there is always fucking more with you, I had to spend a significant amount of time and money to keep you from going to prison. Now, tell me, Vincent. Was it worth it?” _

_ “I can make it up to you, Adriel…”  _

_ “Can you? I could easily kill you right now.”  _

_ “I promise. Give me one more chance. I think I can take out  _ **_Superion_ ** _ ’s group with the connections I’ve made.” _

_ “That’s a pretty big claim. She’s evaded attention and capture for literal decades…”  _

_ “I know that! But I have new information that might give us an edge.” _

_ “Hmmmm… Because I’m feeling generous… You have one shot to not fuck up again. I want all of them dead and their assets returned to me in full. Do I make myself clear?” _

_ “Yes.” _

_ “I’m aware that’s a tall order, I’m not a totally heartless man… But I trust that you are sufficiently motivated, since a failure now will cost you your life.”  _

_ “Yes, sir.”  _

_ “Alright I’ll be back in a day or two. I look forward to hearing your plans.” _

“Adriel is going to kill Vincent if he fails to kill us.” Ava reported to Camila once she’d read the flagged entry. 

“That’s unsurprising.” Camila didn’t look up from the document she was reading as she spoke. “He really screwed up, it makes sense that Adriel would be pissed. I’m more surprised that Vincent hasn’t already been killed.” 

“Adriel seems brutal…” Ava whispered. Her skin prickled with fear, though she tried to repress it. 

“He won his territory in this city through some seriously  _ fucked up  _ methods.” Camila finally met Ava’s gaze. “He is a dangerous man. I hope that, with whatever Beatrice is planning, we can keep our distance. Vincent I’m not as worried about.” 

“I understand…” Ava mumbled. 

“Here’s an interesting one…” Camila began as she narrated another transcript. 

_ File no. 38 - Gun Locker _

_ Time - 22.07 _

_ Date - Feb. 01 2019 _

_ “Have you put together your plans yet?”  _

_ “Jesus! You scared me. Why are you here so late?”  _

_ “I think I’d prefer to ask the questions, Vincent.”  _

_ “Alright, alright. I’m working on it…  _ **_Beatrice_ ** _ is going to be an issue. She probably has a thousand contingency plans in place to protect her crew.” _

“She does!” Ava interrupted Camila’s reading. “That’s how we’re reading these!” Her pride in Beatrice was clear. 

“I know.” Camila couldn’t help but smile. At the very least, this section helped reaffirm her confidence. “I’m going to continue now.” 

_ “A fact which I hope you’ve considered. You’ll likely have to kill them all at once, though. A single hit would leave everyone scattered and likely trigger something else.”  _

_ “Why are you helping me?”  _

_ “Because I have helpful advice to offer? Don’t sound so surprised, Vincent. I can be nice when I want to be. And for a man whose life is on the line, I would be taking all the help you can get.”  _

_ “Fair point.”  _

_ “I’ll admit, it’s been awhile since I’ve read through any personnel files for other crews. What do you know about  _ **_Superion_ ** _ ’s group?”  _

_ “There are only six of them, which isn’t much, but each woman is talented. I hate to admit it, but it’s a formidable crew.”  _

_ “It’s important not to underestimate an enemy.”  _

_ “We don’t know where they live or where their base is. Yet, at least.”  _

_ “I might be able to help with that.”  _

_ “Really?”  _

_ “Believe it or not, I’d prefer if you didn’t fail. Sure, I wouldn’t mind killing you, but if you succeed, I’ll be millions of dollars richer. Plus, my biggest enemies would be dead.”  _

_ “Understandable… We need to be smart about how we execute this. It would be unfortunate if anyone got word of this before we could make a move.” _

_ “Agreed. Nice to see you finally thinking, Vincent.” _

“None of this details exact plans…” Ava sounded disappointed. 

“I know, but it proves that they don’t know where we live or work, which is definitely good news!” Camila countered.

“True…” Ava hated how Beatrice had been mentioned by name. It made her nervous. “Do any of the other files mention exact plans?” 

“I don’t know yet. I flagged only our names and it spit out… Five hundred pages of transcripts. It might be a long night for us.”


	3. I Trust You

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Beatrice and Ava talk about trust. And scones.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> another update for today since i wanna hit 500k words before the new year

It was late. Beatrice was vaguely aware of that. She sat on the floor of her apartment with a dozen transcripts laid out before her. Everyone had taken some home, but there didn’t seem to be a clear and concrete plan mentioned anywhere. Most likely, Vincent and Adriel had discussed it elsewhere. She couldn’t be too mad about that, though, since it was what she would have done too. Frustratedly, Beatrice ran a hand over her hair and tried to force herself to notice something new in the mess. 

“Beatrice?” Ava whispered from behind, though she didn’t get a response. “Beatrice?” She repeated, slightly louder. 

“Hmm?” 

“I made you a cup of tea.” Ava sat down beside her on the floor and handed Beatrice the steaming mug. 

“Thank you.” Beatrice didn’t look at Ava, couldn’t look at Ava. She needed to stay focused. A distraction now could cost them their lives. 

“Are you coming to bed soon?” 

“No.” Beatrice’s answer came instantly. 

“I don’t want to tell you how to work…” Ava seemed hesitant, nervous even. “But you need to sleep. You can’t work at this pace without sleeping, especially since you barely ate too.” 

“Ava. This isn’t just about the heist. They are planning to kill us, too.” 

“You think I don’t -” Ava stopped herself and took a deep breath. She didn’t want to fight with Beatrice. “There is no evidence to suggest that they know where we live. I think it’s safe for you to take a few hours of sleep. Then, tomorrow morning, everyone will be all hands on deck looking for clues.”

“I…” Beatrice couldn’t deny that Ava had a point. “Alright.” 

A few minutes later, they laid together in the cold bed. “I know you’re stressed out and I’m sorry. It sucks to return to this.” Ava whispered as she pressed herself into Beatrice. “And I know I’m not as talented as everyone else… But if there is  _ anything  _ I can do to help you, please tell me. Okay?” 

“I’m scared, Ava.” Beatrice admitted in a tiny voice. 

“Why?” 

“I’m scared that I’ll fuck up and someone will get hurt. Or worse… After the… Well, you know… I don’t know. I’m not sure if I feel as confident as I once was. And maybe that is a good thing, but right now, I’m second guessing every move.” Beatrice’s sentences were disjointed and scattered.

“I understand.” Ava ran a thumb across Beatrice’s cheekbone. “But I have faith in you and your abilities, even if you don’t.” 

Beatrice sighed heavily. “I’m sorry.” 

“What? Why?” 

“My nervousness about this isn’t exactly going to inspire confidence, is it?” Beatrice laughed, though it was entirely without humour. “I need to be better than this.” 

“Hey. It’s okay. It’s been an insanely long day. I promise that coming back after a good night of sleep and a delicious breakfast might help you see things differently.” 

“Maybe…” Beatrice whispered as she curled into Ava’s arms. Within a few minutes, she was asleep. 

Ava woke up first in the morning and was careful not to wake Beatrice as she climbed out of bed. At the sight of her beautiful, albeit bedraggled girlfriend, she couldn’t help but smile. Silently, she turned off Beatrice’s alarm and crept downstairs. After making a quick cup of coffee, Ava got started on breakfast, desperate to help Beatrice have a better day than the last. 

There was a warm plate of scones and a hot cup of tea waiting when Beatrice made her way down. “You turned off my alarm.” She mumbled as she sat at the counter.

“I thought you could use the rest.” Ava replied quietly.

“I was almost angry, but you’re probably right.” She pressed a quick kiss to Ava’s cheek before gesturing to the plate of scones. “What are these? They smell good.” 

“What do you mean?” Ava was visibly confused as she stood up. “They’re scones.” Beatrice plucked on from the platter and held it up. 

“Ava… What do you think a scone is?” 

“What do you think a scone is?” Ava countered with a bemused smile. “And why are you pronouncing it like  _ scon? _ ” 

“Oh my  _ God… _ ” Beatrice laughed heartily, feeling lighter than she had the day prior. 

“I think they’re good.” Ava pretended to pout as she ate one of them. 

“I don’t disagree.” Beatrice dipped the corner of a blueberry-studded pastry into her tea. “I just wouldn’t call this a scone.” 

“It’s nice to see you smile again.” Ava told her, a sudden change in topic, but not uncharacteristic of Ava. 

“You were right. About sleeping.” Beatrice held Ava’s hand across the counter. “I have a dozen new ideas and a beautiful woman whom I love made me breakfast.” 

“I love you too.” Ava blushed.

“And it’s Friday!” Beatrice added with surprising excitement. 

“Are you going to fight tonight?” 

“I think so, provided I have a productive day.” Beatrice glanced at the mess of files she left on the ground the night before. “Wait a minute…” She abandoned the counter and returned to the mess of papers. “How did I not see this before?” 

“Maybe because you were sleep deprived and stressed out?” Ava suggested as wrapped her arms around Beatrice, who was quickly scanning a page. 

“ _ God,  _ this is so obvious! I’m such a fucking idiot!” Beatrice lamented as she shuffled through the transcripts. 

“Hey, hey.” Ava caught her by the shoulders, forcing eye contact between them. “Relax, it’s okay. You’re not going to do your best work unless you calm down a little. Quiet confidence, okay?” 

“Sorry, I’m sorry.” Beatrice hung her head, then lifted it again. “I’m sorry.” She repeated for a third time. 

“It’s alright.” Ava smiled, though it was forced. She was worried about the toll this was taking on Beatrice. “We’ll get dressed, go into work, then you can go beat people up. Okay?” 

“It sounds crass when you say it like that…” Beatrice hesitated, then continued. “Don’t you want me to explain what I’ve found?” 

“I…” Ava took a deep breath and confronted the issue she had been grappling with. “No. I trust you. If you want to share with me, I’m more than happy to listen. Otherwise, I trust you to do what’s best for your family.” 

“You’ve been thinking about this for a while, haven’t you?” 

“Yes.” 

Beatrice strode to the couch and sat down, gesturing for Ava to join her. The view from here was great, though not as spectacular as the one from Ava’s apartment. Still, the gloomy grey sky and the furious lake below it were a dramatic background if nothing else.

“I don’t want to keep anything from you.” Beatrice began as Ava sat beside her. “And Ava, I promise you, with everything that I am… There will never be another plan like last time. Okay?” 

“Like I said…” Ava couldn’t ignore the sudden tears in Beatrice’s eyes. “I trust you.” She knew that Beatrice still harboured guilt from her last plan, even it had worked to perfection. 

“Sometimes I worry that…” Beatrice exhaled sharply, clearly nervous. “I worry that you might think that the secrets I keep for work will… I don’t know how to phrase this…” Her thoughts were oddly segmented. “That they’ll infect our relationship somehow.”

“What?” The thought hadn’t even occurred to Ava, though from Beatrice’s words, it had clearly been weighing on her for weeks. “I would never think that!” 

“Really?” Beatrice dared to let herself sound hopeful. 

“Really.” Ava took Beatrice’s hand in her own. “I wish you wouldn’t let your worries fester for so long before talking to me.”

“Why are you smiling?” Beatrice asked a tear felt to her shirt. 

“Because.” Ava could feel the threat of tears burning at her eyes. “You were worried about me trusting you this entire time. But you’ve finally confided in me about it.”

“Yes?” 

“Which means you trust me too.” Ava wrapped her arms around Beatrice. 

“Of course I do.” She whispered into Ava’s ear. 

“I’m happy to hear that.” Ava’s tears soaked into Beatrice’s shoulder. “Now that we’ve got that settled, let’s get to planning. What do you want me to do today?” Ava walked back into the kitchen. “Do you want another scone before I put these away?” 

“You mean a _ scone? _ ” Beatrice corrected as she rejoined Ava. 

Ava gave Beatrice a joking, albeit still slightly tearful, glare. “I don’t know exactly what I want you to do, yet.” Beatrice replied with a smile. It seemed as though she and Ava had crossed into a new territory of their relationship, a more understanding space between them. “Once I find out what Lilith and Superion have found out, then I might have a clearer picture. Otherwise, you could always work on your fighting.” 

“Ugh…” Ava groaned as she retreated upstairs, most likely to steal something to wear. She still barely had any clothes and nothing she owned was seasonally appropriate. 

“Ava!” Beatrice followed her up the stairs. “You better not be stealing my -” She stopped dead in her tracks at the sight of a half-dressed Ava poking through her dresser. 

“Do you mind?!” Ava joked as she nicked a sweater from the drawer. “I am a proper lady!” 

“I… Uh…” Beatrice’s brain seemed to be short circuiting as Ava pressed a kiss to her cheek before running back downstairs. Eventually, she got herself moving again, at least enough to change out of her pajamas. 

“Ready?” Ava asked cheekily as she stood by the door, scone in hand. 

“You’re a devil.” Beatrice smirked as she pulled her car keys off the hook. 

“We talked about it.” Ava panted as she tried to dodge Camila’s punches later that morning.

“Yeah?” Camila raised an eyebrow. It was clear she didn’t need to work as hard as Ava to win. 

“She feels guilty still… About what happened before.” She tried to duck under Camila’s strike, but ended up getting kicked to the floor. 

“Sorry, that looked painful.” Camila apologised as she helped Ava up. 

“No, it’s okay.” Ava gasped. “If I have to fight one day, they probably won’t go easy on me. You shouldn’t either.” She gratefully unscrewed the cap on her water bottle before taking a big sip. “But yeah, we talked about it. I trust her, she trusts me, it’s all good.”

“Is it?” Camila seemed to sense there was more to the story.

“I don’t know… She seemed stressed. More than I’ve ever seen.”

“Well, we don’t live under this level of threat most of the time… Beatrice’s plan is nothing short of insanely ambitious. She puts a lot of pressure on herself, especially during the early planning phases.”

“I noticed that.” 

“You’re good for her though.” Camila added with a smile. “You give her a reason to come back down to earth.” 

“I hope so…” Ava thought of last night. 

“I know so.” Camila knew what Beatrice was like before Ava. Even now, nothing could compare to the completely closed off and taciturn woman she’d once been friends with. 

“I hope you’re right.” Ava set down her bottle and got ready to go another round. “Are you fighting tonight?” 

“Oh, I’m not sure yet.” Camila threw an easy few punches, though Ava only barely blocked them. “Lilith wants to, so I will probably come along.” 

“How are the two of you?” Ava couldn’t resist asking between laboured breaths. 

“Good. We’re… Good.” That wasn’t a lie, of course, but she didn’t necessarily want to dig into all the spice either. “She’s really caring, though you might not expect that at first. Don’t tell anyone that, Lilith will be mad. Says she has a reputation to uphold.” 

“That’s not a secret!” Ava couldn’t help but laugh. “She treats you so gently, meanwhile, I am constantly wondering if she is going to randomly beat me with a stick.” 

“Well, you certainly have your stick beating moments.” Camila chuckled as she knocked Ava to the ground again. 

“I don’t really think you need a stick to beat me…” She whispered from her sweaty puddle on the floor.


	4. All Part of the Plan

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Another Friday Fight Night... But danger lurks in the shadows.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> dont read this

“Is it safe for us to be here?” Ava asked as they crossed the parking lot into the warehouse. 

“There’s guards up there.” Beatrice motioned towards the roof of the building. 

“And in each of those cars.” Mary pointed at several different vehicles in the lot. “The syndicate that runs this place wants to keep everything family friendly, so to speak.”

“Vincent would have to be insane to try anything here.” Camila reaffirmed, with a gentle hand on Ava’s back. 

“Okay, okay.” Ava felt at least somewhat assured of their safety. 

“I’m not sure family friendly is the best way to phrase it…” Lilith mentioned sardonically. 

“Ha! She’s got a point.” Shannon agreed as she grabbed Mary’s hand. “Who’s fighting tonight?” 

“I am.” Beatrice answered first, surprising no one. 

“Same.” Lilith replied in an instant. 

“Yeah, I’m out.” Ava chuckled. 

“I think I’m out too.” Camila joined Ava in laughter. “I already won my fights earlier.”

“Okay, beating up Ava barely counts.” Mary added. “You know what? It’s been a tough couple days. I’ll hop in the ring tonight.” 

“Me too.” Shannon agreed, eager to blow off some steam. 

The group of them passed through the heavily guarded entrance and followed the crowd into the club. After a round of hugs between couples, Ava and Camila broke off to get drinks. 

“Do you want to bet tonight?” Camila asked as they walked past the bookie’s table.

“I’m good.” Ava answered as they stood in line. “Though I’m pretty confident that Beatrice will win.” 

“If you don’t distract her this time, probably.” Camila grinned, remembering her win against Beatrice. “Lilith will probably make it to the final fight too.” 

“Not Shannon or Mary?” Ava seemed surprised, doubly so since they were both bigger and stronger.

“I think…” She paused in thought. “It’s hard to say who’s better, since it’s not that simple. But I’d wager that Shannon is a better fighter. It’s likely they’ll beat everyone except Lilith or Beatrice.”

“Why didn’t you want to participate?” Ava wondered aloud as the line inched forward. 

“I think… I don’t know. I’m tired. I don’t know about you, but I’m worried about Adriel. It’s been hard to sleep at night.” 

“I understand.” 

“I have to imagine you feel similarly.” Camila whispered, earning a nod from Ava. “I’m looking forward to a relaxing evening, whatever that means for us.” If only it were that simple…

As predicted, Mary advanced through each of her fights until it came time to face Lilith. “You were right.” Ava told Camila as they sat forward in their booth. 

“I usually am.” Camila laughed over the sound of the announcer.

“Do you still think Lilith will win?” 

“Absolutely… Though, I am biased.” 

In the ring, Lilith and Mary slowly circled around one another. Like the last time Ava visited, the atmosphere of the crowd was completely electric. It seemed like everyone was holding their breath in anticipation of the first strike. Mary punched first, twice in quick succession. She forced Lilith off balance, but didn’t connect meaningfully. 

“Nice try.” Lilith smirked as she regained her footing. Mary didn’t reply, instead allowing herself to be goaded into a clumsy attack. Capitalising on Mary’s misstep, Lilith aimed a kick into her side, though she failed to knock Mary over. Before Lilith could win, Mary stood with surprising speed, giving herself another chance. 

Mary threw a false strike, then a real one, managing to catch Lilith’s shoulder. She held her rapidly bruising shoulder for a second, only to smile a moment later. Finally, a challenge. Hoping to use the newly created weak point to her advantage, Mary aimed for Lilith’s shoulder a second time. Unfortunately, that was a predictable move, and Lilith countered with rapid precision. A moment later, Mary lay on the ground, though the grin on her face was obvious. 

Lilith gave her a hand and helped Mary off the ground, while the announcer called the fight. “Shannon is fighting Beatrice next?” Ava repeated as the announcer called the next match up.

“Yes and whoever wins fights Lilith in the final. I predicted correctly.” 

“And you think Beatrice will win?” 

“Yes. She’s only ever lost once; to me.” Camila met Ava’s sharp gaze. “So try not to distract her, okay?” 

“I didn’t even do anything!” Ava protested, only to be drowned out by the persistent announcer. 

Beatrice looked confident. That was the first aspect of the fight that struck Ava; before the clever punches and misdirections, there was only Beatrice. Since they’d returned home from their trip, it was undeniable that Beatrice seemed shaken from the pressure she was under. Yet tonight, she moved assuredly, in a way that Ava hadn’t seen in a few days. In a way she  _ loved.  _

Shannon, unlike Mary, seemed hesitant to strike first. She knew that Beatrice preferred to sit back and wait, letting her opponent attack. Thus, Shannon held back. Eventually, as a tiny smile played across her lips, Beatrice dove forward. In anticipation, Shannon spun away from the strike, though Beatrice’s quick recovery didn’t give her time to counter. 

Beatrice then ducked beneath a well-placed kicked - but only just. There was less than an inch between her face and Shannon’s leg. With insane speed, Beatrice threw a lower kick into Shannon’s balancing leg, knocking her off balance but not to the floor. A few similar exchanges were traded between the women, but Beatrice ultimately emerged victorious with a clever block and attack. 

A few minutes later, during the intermission between fights, Mary and Shannon returned to the fray. “Can these losers join you two lovely ladies?” Mary asked with a grin as she slid into the booth.

“I thought you both did well!” Ava told them enthusiastically. “Better than I would have done, at least. Granted, that is a pretty low bar…” 

“It’s okay, we knew what you meant.” Shannon reassured her with a kind smile. “I didn’t really stand a chance against Beatrice, I’m just happy I lasted longer than a minute.”

“Me too.” Mary looked out over the now-empty ring. “Did either of you place bets?” 

“No.” Camila answered for them both. “You?” 

“Yes! Since Beatrice lost last time, she had more favourable odds than usual.” 

“Maybe you did Beatrice a favour then, huh Ava?” Shannon teased. 

“Ladies and gentlemen!” The announcer’s voice boomed over the building’s echoing sound system. “I hope you’ve placed your bets and ordered your drinks! We’ve got one more fight tonight and it’s sure to be a doozy!” Ava crept to the edge of her seat as Beatrice followed Lilith into the ring. Again, Ava couldn’t help but admire Beatrice’s assured confidence. 

Lilith struck first, an aggressive attack. She had a longer reach than Beatrice and took full advantage of it. Despite that, Beatrice crept closer, moving impressively fast to dodge Lilith’s continuous strikes. Somehow, she managed to place a foot inside Lilith’s stance, allowing Beatrice to knock her out of form. 

With a callous shove, Lilith pushed Beatrice back, buying her a few seconds of time. It was a sloppy move, to be sure, but effective. Both women took a moment to regroup, a smile upon each of their faces. Upon meeting again, Beatrice caught a rough kick to the shoulder, which painfully threw her out of her fighting stance. Had she reacted slightly slower, it would have cost her the fight. 

In Lilith’s attempt to win, she threw a quick jab, allowing Beatrice to catch her at the elbow. With one arm immobilised for a second, Beatrice had free reign to strike twice, forcing Lilith to the ground. 

“That was really good.” Beatrice whispered as she helped Lilith up, ignoring the announcer entirely. “You almost had me.”

“I know. Next time, perhaps.” Lilith grinned as she stood up.

“That was amazing!” Ava shouted in the parking lot as they left the warehouse. “You were like…” She did a series of janky punches into the air. “And Lilith was like…” A couple sloppy kicks followed.

“How drunk are you?” Beatrice giggled as she wrapped an around Ava.

“Barely, if at all.” Ava pressed a gentle kiss to her cheek. “But wow, watching those fights was such a rush.”

“Imagine being in one.” Lilith replied, though she wore an easy smile. 

“That’s why I’m so worked up,  _ Lilith. _ ” Ava bit back, though she was far from angry. All six of them seemed more at ease, despite the danger that hung over them. It couldn’t last of course, but the calm happiness was savoured all the same. 

It was late when Mary pulled onto the freeway, with barely another car on the bleary road... Until there was. 

“We’ve got company…” Mary announced in a stern whisper. Everyone turned around in near unison. A tinted out SUV was tailing them closely.

“Can you lose them?” Beatrice asked. “We can’t lead them back home, obviously.” 

“I’ll see what I can do.”

Mary all but stomped on the accelerator and the powerful engine roared. “I’d hold onto something.” She muttered as she veered off the road and down the closest off ramp.

“Yeah, no shit.” Shannon quipped from beside her. 

“So… Hypothetical question, but say one of the men was pointing a gun out the window…” Ava began, the panic in her voice poorly disguised. 

“The windows on all our cars are bulletproof.” Camila began.

“But bulletproof doesn’t mean bulletproof  _ forever. _ ” Lilith added. “Four or five shots from a small calibre gun and maybe two from something bigger.”

“Comforting…” Ava mumbled. She could hear gunshots popping in the night, but Mary’s erratic driving patterns seemed to keep them ‘safe.’

“These have to be Vincent’s men, no?” Camila wondered, surprisingly calm as Mary wound her way through small back streets and alleyways. 

“Most likely, but it would be unwise to assume.” Beatrice was trying to work through a million different scenarios at once. Without warning, Mary slammed onto the brakes, forcing the car into a screeching slide. There was a second car blocking the end of the alley. They were pinned down. 

From within the center console, Lilith withdrew three handguns. The glove box held another set of three. Quickly, Beatrice passed one into Ava’s hands. A bullet ripped through the car's engine block, a horrible metal-ripping sound. Gasoline fumes filled the air in a moment.

“For fuck’s sake.” Lilith whispered as she rolled down her window. Within a few seconds, she’d dispatched two of the presumably hired goons that were advancing towards the car. Mary did the same, pointing the other direction. 

“That’s two more down.”

“This car is a ticking bomb, we need to move.” Shannon kicked open her door and shot another hired gun. 

“If we head back the way we came, we should be able to clear a path.” Beatrice shouted over the peppery gun fire. She grabbed Ava’s hand and pulled her from the car, leading her to a heavy metal dumpster. They crouched behind it, waiting for a pause in the gunfire. 

“That should be the lot of them.” Mary called from her cover across the alley. Each of them, except Ava, were excellent shots. It had barely been a fair fight. 

“If we steal one of their cars, we can drive it closer to home and torch it.” Shannon began as she stepped out of a doorway. “On the way we’ll call Superion for a lift.” 

“She is not going to be pleased to be woken up at this hour…” Camila mumbled.

“Is no one going to talk about how we were just attacked?!” Ava sounded more than a little panicked and she trailed behind slightly as they walked towards the car. 

“You’re right, Ava.” A voice whispered from behind her, before two rough hands grabbed her wrists. “Perhaps we should talk a little more.”

“Ava!” Beatrice turned, gun at the ready. 

“Now, now.” Vincent had an arm wrapped around Ava and a gun pressed to her head. “Think carefully, Beatrice.” 

“It’s six guns on one, do you really want to take that chance?” Mary cocked her pistol. 

“Do you?” Vincent’s breath was hot against the side of Ava’s face. It made her skin crawl. “I know you are all fond of playing with guns…” He looked pointedly at Lilith. “But consider, I’m basically a dead man anyhow. I’m just not sure you’re willing to risk Ava in the process.” His words were oddly stilted, it seemed as though he was becoming unbound at the seams. 

Beatrice lowered her gun and urged her family to do the same. “Take her.” A smile crept across her face as Ava’s eyes widened in shocked terror. “It’s all part of the plan.”


	5. Terminal Velocity

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Beatrice makes arrangements.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> bold of u to assume i proofread anything

An argument broke out the moment the  _ five  _ of them had safely returned home. “Beatrice, what the  _ fuck?! _ ” Mary was a moment away from pummelling the woman that stood across from her. “After everything? To Ava no less?! Did she know?!” 

“I don’t think so…” Camila muttered, remembering the look of terror on Ava’s face. Beatrice looked up and met everyone’s eyes. 

“It wasn’t part of the plan. I was bluffing.” She whispered, almost choking on her own words. 

“What?” Shannon was confused. “Why?”

“Vincent was right, we couldn’t take the risk. I wouldn’t have trusted anyone - not even myself to take the shot.” She took a shaky deep breath as tears fell to her shirt. “He seemed unhinged I just -” 

Camila hugged her as Beatrice cracked, her calm façade cracking under the weight of Ava’s absence. “It’s more than likely… They wouldn’t kill her…” Beatrice muttered between sobs. “They will try to get information. We have a chance… At least… We have to try…” 

“We’ll do more than try.” Shannon wrapped her arms around them both. 

“You’re right about Vincent.” Lilith said from the other side of the room. She looked out over the lake, thinking of the time she spent working ‘for’ him.

“What do you mean?” Mary asked before Beatrice had the chance.

“He did seem unhinged. Wrong.” Lilith sighed heavily. She was worried about Ava. “I worked closely with him for a few weeks. He was always hot headed, but there was something… I don’t know. He was careless tonight - uncharacteristically so.”

“Is that good news?” Shannon wondered.

“Hard to say.” Lilith hated that she couldn’t be more optimistic, but she didn’t want to lie, either.” 

“Beatrice?” Camila’s eyes were full of worry. “What does Ava know?” 

“I…” Beatrice tried to force a deep breath in, though it was exceedingly difficult. She remembered their conversation from that morning - it felt like ages ago. “Nothing. Nothing relevant, at least.” 

“What’s your plan, then?” Mary knew Beatrice had run through a thousand different scenarios already. 

“Lilith, I need whatever you have about Adriel’s assets - specifically any fronts he is currently operating. I know you probably haven’t had time to finish a full report, but get me what you have.” Beatrice began and Lilith nodded.

“Any key addresses, pass along to Camila.” Beatrice turned to Camila, who hadn’t left her side since… “Hack into the city archives and find any information about the buildings you can. Floor plans, security systems, staffing rosters - anything.”

“Got it.” Camila told her before heading up the stairs with Lilith to get to work. It was going to be a long night. 

Beatrice pulled out her phone and texted a list of items to Shannon and Mary. “I just sent you two a list - can you get everything on it within the next few hours?” 

“It’ll be a bit of a stretch…” Shannon’s eyes ran over the details. “But I think we can manage it if we split up.” 

“Be careful.” Beatrice’s voice was dead serious. “We don’t know what other threats are waiting for us.” 

“We will be.” Mary answered solemnly as they headed for the garage. 

Back in her own apartment, Beatrice allowed herself a few minutes to cry. Traces of Ava were everywhere, from her pajamas on the bed, to the plate of ‘scones’ in the fridge. Desperate, painful sobs racked her body as Beatrice tried to hold herself together. Eventually, she found her way off the ground and into a burning shower. 

Still wrapped in her towel, Beatrice opened her computer and checked for data from Camila or Lilith. Nothing yet. Silently, she got dressed, pulling on an outfit entirely in black. The intimate feeling of mourning was inescapable. A tiny beep alerted Beatrice to an email from Lilith. Eagerly, with an unbreakable focus, she began cross-examining the data with the transcripts her bugs had pulled. 

A few hours later, a knock at the door interrupted her work. Beatrice stood, her legs stiff from sitting in the same position.

“Hey.” Mary greeted her as the door opened. “We got everything on your list. What’s next?” 

“Thank you.” Beatrice appreciated her help. Everyone’s help. It would be risky to try and save Ava, but it was better than the alternative… “Meeting downstairs in…” She looked at her watch and did a few quick calculations. “Fifteen minutes.”

Once Mary left, Beatrice crossed the room and stood at the window. The sun was rising about the hazy clouds. It was a muted light, but it was hopeful anyhow. After several deep breaths, in a failed effort to calm herself, Beatrice gathered the maps and documents she needed to explain her plan. 

“As you can see…” Beatrice gestured out the lobby windows. “We’ve lost the cover of darkness. We’ll have to wait until tonight to make our move. Hopefully, Ava can hold on that long…” 

“She can.” Camila sounded more optimistic than anyone else. 

“Here’s a map of Adriel’s main holdings.” Beatrice ignored Camila’s comment and unfurled the map across the table. “At least, the main ones.” There were five buildings circled on the map.

“Thankfully, each front is secured with electronic security - so Camila can break into it.” Beatrice continued. “The four of you are going to move from each building…” She traced her hand over the predetermined route, the most efficient path between each one. “And draw resources away from wherever Ava is being held.” There were several unspoken variables, like the possibility Ava was already dead - but Beatrice couldn’t think about that. She  _ couldn’t. _

“Do you know where that is?” Mary asked quietly.

“I have a hunch.” Beatrice unfolded a second map, smaller than the first. “Camila pulled her phone data - before remotely erasing the device.” On the second map, there were several red dots that tracked Ava’s presumed movement across the city. “Adriel owns this warehouse here, a perfect holding point.” 

“And you’re going alone?” Shannon knew that, had it been Mary, she would have been beside herself - unable to focus. 

“Not entirely.” Beatrice didn’t elaborate. “Ideally, five consecutive explosions will draw manpower away from the warehouse - and attention away from Vincent. I should be able to slip in relatively undetected.”

“What if the buildings are guarded?” Lilith asked - a fair question.

“It’s up to your discretion.” Beatrice’s face was stony as she answered. “Try to wire up controlled charges. After business hours, there shouldn’t be any civilians. If some of Adriel’s men get in the way… Well, I’ll leave that up to you.” 

“What time should we leave?” Mary inquired. 

“Hm…” Beatrice hadn’t finalised the finer details of her plans. “At eight, to give us a safe buffer and prevent civilian encounters. I don’t care if Adriel’s men die, but the feds will be pressured to investigate more closely if innocents die.” She paused in thought. “Aim to have the first bomb go off no later than quarter to nine. I’ll leave once I get the go ahead from you.” 

“And until then?” Shannon raised an eyebrow.

“Whatever preparations you feel are necessary.” Beatrice trusted her team to prepare as they saw fit. 

“And sleep. And eat.” Camila added with a pointed look at Beatrice. “We can’t go into this half-cocked, especially after staying up for two days straight and not eating anything.” 

“I…” Beatrice didn’t know if she could do either of those things, but she vowed to try. For Ava’s sake. “Fine. Any other questions?” 

After running through specifics, Beatrice reluctantly slunk back to her apartment. She checked the time.  _ 7.02am. _ Unsurprisingly, she was exhausted, but a nervous energy compelled her to pace around for a while. Over and over again she rehearsed the plan. It was almost maniacal, but she needed to be sure that there were no shortcomings, no flaws. Beatrice already felt personally responsible for Ava being taken, she didn’t think she could handle another mistake. 

Sunlight blasted through the high windows of the warehouse. Ava had to imagine it was at least midday; she must have fallen asleep at some point. She almost laughed. Even being trapped with the enemy and literally tied to a chair, she was able to sleep. The sound of an opening door echoed through the empty building - causing Ava to stiffen.

“Good morning, sunshine.” Vincent greeted her with a terrifying smile. “I hope you got a good night’s sleep, since we’ve got a busy day ahead of us.” His face was only inches from Ava’s by the time he finished his sentence - she could smell the coffee on his breath. 

“If you’re going to breathe your coffee breath in my face, you could have at least brought me one too.” Ava muttered. She was already developing a massive headache from the caffeine withdrawal. 

“Oh, you’ve got a mouth on you.” He turned away for a moment, only to suddenly spin around and slap her across the face. 

“I get that a lot.” Ava replied, even as her face smarted from the attack. 

“I’m going to make an assumption that you’re  _ not  _ going to tell me what I need to know…” 

“Good analytical skills. Maybe one day you’ll -” Ava’s sarcastic response was interrupted by a proper punch to the face. 

Blood spurted from her nose and onto the sweater she was wearing. “Hey!” Ava protested. “This sweater isn’t mine, I’d really prefer if you didn’t ruin it.” Of course, it was Beatrice’s… Ava remembered what Beatrice had said last night.  _ It’s all part of the plan.  _ Was it truly? It was hard for her to believe that, given everything… But she’d be lying if she denied the shadow of doubt that plagued her mind. 

“ _ Christ,  _ you’re annoying.” Vincent rubbed his eyes. It seemed like he was under a lot of stress - a detail that didn’t escape Ava’s notice. 

“You’re no prize yourself.”

“Shut up!” A backhanded smack smashed across Ava’s cheek, splattering her blood across the floor. His reaction to her comment only confirmed her suspicions. She had to work hard not to smile - he’d be easy to play. 

“Thank you…” Vincent whispered after a few minutes of Ava’s silence. “Now, I’m going to ask a question and I’d appreciate a straight answer. What’s your crew’s next move?”    
“See, your first mistake was expecting a  _ straight  _ answer.” Ava grinned, earning herself another punch. “Careful!” His ring opened a gash across her cheekbone. “I don’t want any more scars on my face.” 

He groaned at her comment and walked away. A moment later, Ava heard the door open as Vincent entered another room. She took a moment to compose herself. Obviously, her face ached, but she wasn’t going to give Vincent the satisfaction of seeing her pain. All she had to do was hold on. Beatrice would show up eventually - right?

“Alright…” Vincent announced his presence an hour later, as he carried a car battery back into the vacant warehouse. “Maybe you’ll find this more motivating.” 

“I’m sure I will.” Ava’s fake politeness seemed to anger him more. He knelt in front of her, pulling off Ava’s boot and socks. She desperately wished her feet weren’t restrained, so she could kick him in the face. “So… Are you a foot fetish kind of guy, or what?” 

“Shut up!” 

“I’m just trying to make conversation,  _ Jesus.  _ No need to be so rude.” Ava teased. She was walking a fine line in goading him, but it was the only weapon she had. Plus, Ava was always good with people. Hopefully that would be enough?

“I’m going to ask you a question.” Vincent began, brusquely clamping an alligator clip to one of Ava’s feet. The other, he clipped a few times in demonstration, producing a satisfying shower of sparks. 

“What is the target of your next operation?” Vincent asked with surprising confidence, as if Ava was sure to answer this time. Instead, she looked him square in the eyes, before continuing to evade the question. 

“I actually haven’t been to Target in a while.” A forced, but realistic laugh escaped her bloodied lips. “It’s the kind of store where you go for one thing and all of a sudden you -  _ AHHHHH!!!! _ ” 

Vincent clamped the other end to Ava’s exposed flesh, interrupting her words with an excruciating shock. Once he was satisfied with her suffering, he removed it, and Ava panted for breath. 

“I’m going to ask another. Are you feeling more inclined to answer?” 

“Sure.” Ava set her jaw and remained determined. Realistically, she knew there was only so much more she could take. Having faith in her team, in Beatrice, was Ava’s most realistic option. Unless this really was part of the plan all along?


	6. Bullets to Spare

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A daring rescue.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> another update today for all you lovelies.

“Adriel, I need advice…” Vincent growled into the phone. He was standing outside, by the warehouse dock. His icy breath hung in the air. When the sun had set, it had taken all of the day’s meager warmth with it. 

“What?” Adriel sounded unmistakably annoyed. 

“I took one of the girls.” 

“What did I say? What did I fucking say?” Adriel shouted, then took a deep breath and calmed down. “And they’re  _ women,  _ Vincent. For  _ Christ’s  _ sake - they are high level criminals, not Catholic school girls.” 

“What’s done is done. Now if I could just get information out of Ava, I’d be able to seal the deal.” Vincent’s shoulders were so tense they resembled the ropes that moored the ships to harbour.

“How barbaric of you…” Adriel sounded almost disgusted. “I’m not sure why you need my help with this. From where I’m sitting, it looks like another classic Vincent fuck-up. Tell you what, I’ll give you another hour or two, then I’ll come down there. And for my trouble, I’ll kill both you and the  _ woman. _ ” 

“Wait -” Vincent protested, rather pathetically, but the line was dead.

“Fuck!” Vincent shouted over the water. The guards at the door pretended they didn’t notice his clear mental slippage. Ava was making him insane. Yes, it had to be Ava. She was impossible! Even after going at it for hours, she somehow found a way to make jokes and completely ignore his questions. It was beyond frustrating.

He paced back and forth. He needed something,  _ anything,  _ to prove that taking Ava had been worth it. Obviously, it hadn’t been his original plan, but he didn’t expect a tiny group of women to take out a full contingent of armed guards. It was the second time he’d underestimated them and the second time he had paid for it. Viciously, Vincent threw open the warehouse door. It wasn’t a mistake he intended to make a third time. 

Ava lifted her head to watch Vincent’s return and a sick smile crossed her bloody face. Sure, she was in pain. And sure, blood dripped from her face. And sure, her muscles seemed to be spasming from the jolts of electricity. But somehow, she was still keeping it together better than this guy.

“Hey.” Ava whispered, as Vincent got closer. “I never thanked you.” He stopped dead in his tracks. 

“What are you talking about?” 

“You killed Randall. When he came to the city. Thanks for that.” Ava forced herself to smile wider. “He would have killed me, otherwise.” 

“Fuck you.” Vincent spit as he leveled a kick into Ava’s chest, knocking her and the chair to the ground. Unable to catch herself, Ava’s head cracked against the floor, rendering her vision blurry and sickening. 

“Ow…” She couldn’t keep herself from speaking, not with the spinning confusion in her mind. 

“Finally, the amazing Ava cracks.” Vincent stood over her, a creepy gleam in his eye. “I’m going to start with something really simple. Where do you live?” 

“I…” Ava knew she couldn’t stall him for much longer, but she wouldn’t talk, either. “42 Wallaby Way, Sydney. Get it?” Granted, it wasn’t her best joke, but after several hours of torture, you take what you can get. 

“You’re despicable.” Vincent raised a foot, with every intention of striking a killing blow…

“What’s the time?” Lilith whispered to Camila.

“Eight thirty.” She breathed back as she typed out a series of code on her computer. Mary and Shannon ducked around a parked car and met them around the back of the building. 

“There were only two guards, but they won’t be an issue.” Mary reported, without adding an ounce of extraneous detail. 

“I should have us in…” Camila trailed off, keying the last few numbers into the device. 

As if on cue, the electronic lock on the door buzzed, turning from red to green. Camila unplugged her computer from the building’s system and stuffed it back into her bag. The four of them ducked through the door, careful not to turn on a single light. 

“Don’t steal any of the money here.” Shannon instructed as they checked for any other guards or alarms. “It’s most likely still dirty and Ava isn’t here to crack any of the safes.” At the mention of their missing member, a chill seemed to settle through the room.

Mary gently laid her duffel bag on the floor and handed a small bundle of explosives to everyone. “Set the clocks to ten minutes.” She added. They’d spent an hour that afternoon poring over the floorplans of each building. Thus, they knew where to detonate each explosive for maximal structure damage. Between the engineered placements and the incendiary compound, each building would be reduced to rubble within minutes. 

“Is everyone set?” Shannon called as loud as she dared, from the doorway. 

“Yeah, but let me re-lock everything.” Camila replied, as she fiddled with the high tech lock. 

“This isn’t going to take more than, say, eight minutes, right?” Lilith asked with the tiniest hint of a smile.

“If it did, I wouldn’t have a job.” Camila answered, just as the lock returned to its initial position. 

They climbed over the back fence and ducked down an alley, returning to the car. Mary climbed into the driver’s seat and sped off the curb. 

“Bea, it’s Camila.” As soon as they were moving, Camila called Beatrice to give her an update. “The first bomb is set to go off exactly on schedule and we’re en route to the second site now.” 

“Thanks for letting me know.” Beatrice replied in a whisper. 

“Be safe.” Camila told her before hanging up. 

“What’s the situation?” Superion asked. She was crouched beside Beatrice atop an adjacent warehouse to the one she suspected that Ava was being kept in. On the edge of the roof, a massive sniper rifle sat in her arms.  _ Just in case. _

“They’ve set the first charge. We have a few minutes.” Beatrice looked out over the water, then back out towards the city. “We might be able to see the smoke from here.” 

“Are you ready?” 

“Yes.” Beatrice’s answer was simple, but true. She’d caught a glimpse of Vincent earlier, reaffirming her deductions. Whatever he had done to Ava, she would do to him tenfold. 

“When you get down there, remember that you have cover, okay?” 

“I will.” Beatrice replied solemnly. The two of them sat in silence, until a plume of smoke rose from the city. 

From a car parked across the road, Mary watched the guards react to the news of the explosion. Meanwhile, Camila worked on a remote hack of the building's security. 

“This is the moment of truth. Are they going to leave and investigate? Or will Adriel order them to secure the site?” Shannon narrated. 

“Looks like they’re heading out.” Lilith replied as one of them hung up his phone and gestured for everyone to follow him into the car.

“It’s like Beatrice said. These are the closest men to the site, it would make sense to send them.” Mary found herself, not for the first time, in awe of Beatrice’s attention to detail. 

“I don’t know if we’ll get away with this a third time, though.” Lilith mumbled as she loaded her handgun.

“At that point, it won’t matter. We’re here to do two things. Sow chaos and send a message. No one fucks with us and gets away with it.” Shannon asserted quietly. 

“Alright.” Camila keyed in a final code. “Adriel has a huge security oversight. Each building uses not only the same encryption standard, but the same access keys.” 

“Well, I’ll be sure to inform him of that.” Mary quipped as she opened her door. Duffel bag in hand, the four of them placed another set of explosives, perfectly arranged for maximum destruction. 

At the third stop, they ran into trouble. “Looks like Adriel made a call.” Lilith muttered as they parked down the street. Outside the small storefront, there were six guards.

“We can’t just shoot them, not in the middle of the street.” Mary was clearly frustrated. 

“In the floor plan, there is a back door, though that would mean we have to approach on foot.” Camila explained, looking at the detailed map in her pocket.

“It’ll put us a few minutes behind schedule, but it should work.” Shannon answered. “Mary, can you bring us a block over? We’ll go through the back alley.” 

“Yeah.” Mary put the car back in gear. A moment later, they were in position. 

“Camila, can you unlock  _ just  _ the back door?” Shannon asked. 

“Yes. I’ll need a minute, though.” Camila replied as she worked. 

“Alright. That’ll buy us a little bit of a time and an audible warning. Otherwise, I say we take out the two guards and slip in silently. If the men out front are taken out with the explosion, so be it.” Shannon was callous, but it came with the line of work. Given the chance, any of those guards would shoot without a second thought. 

“That’s two.” Superion observed as a second plume of smoke billowed into the sky. Even from their distant perch, sirens echoed through the steel canyons of the city. “There’s two guards at the back door, two at the front. I haven’t seen anyone else come out today, so I think Vincent is alone inside.”

“Can you take out both the men out front, just to give me another option for an exit?” Beatrice asked as she slid her pistol from it’s holster.

Superion gave her a pointed glare before answering. “Beatrice, I’ve been in this game longer than you’ve been alive. I can take them both out with one shot.” She screwed a gargantuan silencer onto the end of her rifle.

“Glad to hear it.” A smile almost graced Beatrice’s lips as she climbed down the fire escape. Her all-black ensemble helped her blend into the shadows. 

Beatrice pressed her back against the metal exterior of the warehouse. Her heart was pounding angrily. Just around the corner were two guards, easily double her size. Plus, each of them held an automatic rifle; an intimidating weapon to say the least. From the ground, she picked up a sizable rock and chucked it at one of the boats in the dock. 

“What was that?” One of the guards asked the other, who replied with a simple shrug. They stepped away from the door, putting a few paces between them and Beatrice. With efficient and practiced movements, she put a bullet in each of their backs. She turned back towards her perch and heard a click as Superion fired off a precise shot. Beatrice’s hand hovered over the handle for a split second. If Ava wasn’t in here… She couldn’t even fathom the possibilities. 

“You’re despicable!” Vincent said, raising his foot to kill Ava. Before he could do so, a bullet ripped through his chest, knocking him aside. A moment later, Ava’s chair was righted, and the woman she dreamed of was untying her. 

“Ava.” Beatrice’s voice was a hoarse whisper. As much as she wanted to scream, cry, dance, and everything in between - she couldn’t. They were still in danger and she needed to conduct herself as such, lest she wanted to lose Ava again. “Are there any guards stationed inside?” 

“Not that I know of.” Ava was equally quiet, though Beatrice wasn’t naïve to the shaking of her body. 

“Are you okay to walk?” Beatrice asked as she knelt before Ava. She hated how cold she was being right now. The woman she loved was beaten and abused, yet she was more focused on planning an escape route from the building. It reminded her of their conversation in Panama -  _ maybe we are the bad guys.  _ At least, Beatrice certainly felt like one at that moment.

“I think so.” Ava’s response brought her back to reality. With trembling steps, she managed, as Beatrice led her back the way she came. Superion had brought the car around while Beatrice was inside, so she helped Ava into the backseat and they made an impressively fast escape. Only then could Beatrice let her guard down and take care of Ava. That is, if Ava would allow it. It didn’t escape Beatrice’s notice that she flinched at each touch.


	7. Gentle

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ava isn't the only one struggling to deal with happened.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ITS COME TO MY ATTENTION that i have an unfinished christmas fic. i forgot about it again, but i promise ill finish it soon :* :* 
> 
> (and then maybe write another xmas fic because i am a hoe)

Ava sat on the edge of the couch as Beatrice carefully stitched her wounds shut. It was eerily reminiscent of their first moment alone. 

“This feels familiar, doesn’t it?” Ava asked in a cracked voice, though her smile was entirely false. She was beyond exhausted. 

“Ava…” Beatrice hated her attempt to be chipper, hated everything it represented. It was an impenetrable wall that existed between them. “You don’t have to pretend you’re okay.” 

“What do you want me to say, then?” The flash of anger in her voice was like nothing Beatrice had ever heard before. A painful spasm shot through her muscles before she continued. “I don’t know if I trust you right now…” Ava whispered, hating to even say it. There was only a shadow of doubt in her mind, but it refused to be silent. The shadow seemed to have grown over each hour Ava spent with Vincent. 

“Ava…” Beatrice repeated as she met Ava’s eyes. The pain behind them was unbearable. “I didn’t plan this. You have to know that.” She mumbled as she finished closing the wound that crossed Ava’s cheek.

“I  _ have  _ to?” Ava stood and walked over to the window on slightly unsteady feet. She pressed a hand to the glass. “You seemed awfully calm.” 

“For you!” Beatrice knew she was raising her voice but she couldn’t help herself. “I knew if I could keep my calm, if I could trick Vincent… You’d have a better chance of  _ not dying! _ ” Ava turned and stared at Beatrice, shaking the entire time. Thankfully, her expression softened slightly, though her injuries and exhaustion were grim nonetheless.

“Really?” Ava asked in a tiny voice. After everything, she wasn’t sure what to believe. Her mind felt foggy, confused. 

From the disorganised pile on the coffee table, Beatrice withdrew a small, handwritten packet. It contained her original plan, with an obsessive level of detail. 

“This is what I had planned initially.” Beatrice told Ava, handing over the stack of papers. “It’s dated here.” She pointed to the top, where a small scrawl was located. “You can read this in its entirety.” 

Ava looked at Beatrice, then down at the notes. Instead of scanning them as Beatrice expected, Ava closed her eyes and leaned heavily against the window.

“My head hurts too much to read these right now. I’m sorry.” 

“Hey, hey.” Beatrice extended a hand and gently wrapped it around Ava’s arm - grateful not to see her flinch away. “Why don’t you get some rest and we can discuss this in the morning?” 

“Okay…” Ava agreed without argument. 

Ava let Beatrice coax her into a pair of pajamas, though the change in clothing displayed the full range of bruises that decorated Ava’s body. A sick feeling twisted through Beatrice’s stomach at the sight of it. She was  _ happy  _ she’d killed Vincent. If anything, she wished she had time to drag it out for a little bit longer. Quickly, Beatrice shook the thoughts away. She had to be here for Ava right now. Revenge could come later. 

“I have a few things to take care of.” Beatrice began as she knelt beside the bed. “Do you want me to sleep downstairs, or may I join you later?”

“I…” Ava mumbled, barely able to stay awake now that she was safe and warm. “I’d like you to come up when you want.” She whispered after a short pause.

“Okay.” Beatrice stood, placing the gentlest of kisses onto Ava’s face. “I love you.” 

“I love you, too.” Ava replied quietly. Beatrice wasn’t sure if she deserved it. 

Downstairs, Beatrice sat at the counter with a cup of tea. There were files and transcripts spread across the counter, and she was adding handwritten notes to several of the margins. This was far from over. Her phone buzzing against the counter disrupted Beatrice’s frantic train of thought. With a sigh, she lifted the device, revealing a text from Mary. 

Mary:  _ How is she? _

Beatrice:  _ About as good as could be expected, all things considered… _

Mary:  _ Does she need anything?  _

Beatrice:  _ She’s asleep right now, but I’ll keep you posted.  _

Mary:  _ Do you? _

Beatrice:  _ No. _

Of course, that was a lie. But what Beatrice needed was complex. Amorphous even. She didn’t know what would ease the heavy guilt that had taken residence in her chest. A quiet sob echoed through the room, then a second, then a third. Tears splattered across the pages, despite Beatrice’s best efforts. She couldn’t focus on work, nor eat, nor sleep. Restless wasn’t a strong enough word for the feeling. 

Yet somehow, she eventually fell asleep. Granted, it was bent over the counter, with the light on and pen in hand. But it still counted. Right? 

“Beatrice?” Ava’s voice was a hoarse whisper that garnered zero response. “Beatrice?” She tried again, slightly louder, as she laid a hand on her shoulder. 

“Hmm?” Beatrice mumbled without opening her eyes. 

“It’s noon.” Ava reported, a truth that was corroborated by the thick sunlight that poured through the tall windows. 

“What?” Beatrice sat up with a sharp inhale. How had she slept this long? She rubbed the side of her neck which ached from the uncomfortable position. 

“Are you alright?” Ava asked, despite her own injuries, her emotions were clearly devoted to Beatrice. 

“I don’t think you’re the one who should be asking that.” Beatrice replied as her thoughts came rushing back. A quick look at her watch confirmed the time.  _ 11.58am.  _ “Have you been up long?” 

Ava’s hair was wet from the shower, but she shook her head. “Twenty minutes, maybe. Enough time to make a coffee and shower. I’m surprised you didn’t hear the coffee machine. The grinder is loud.” She sat beside Beatrice with surprising calm. Her muscle spasms from the day prior were lessened, though there was a slight tremble in her hands.   
“I could have made you a coffee…” Beatrice muttered, frustrated that she had already failed to take care of Ava. 

Able to sense Beatrice’s guilty panic, Ava took Beatrice’s hand. “It’s okay. Really.” 

“No, it’s not.” Beatrice argued, stubborn to the last moment. “It’s my fault you got…” She didn’t have the fortitude to finish her sentence. “And you thought it was planned the entire time and I should have set an alarm but I didn’t even plan to fall asleep and -” 

“Stop.” Ava squeezed her hand and tried to stop Beatrice from spiraling. “It’s not your fault. I didn’t… Well… I’m ready to talk about it now.” 

Beatrice hastily shuffled through the tear soaked pages and handed Ava the file they’d talked about last night. “Page sixteen and onwards detail your role.” She added in a tiny voice.

“Thank you.” Ava replied, equally quiet. She knew Beatrice was breaking convention by sharing her work. That alone was to be respected. There were several notes about different types of locks and various personnel that worked for Adriel - but nothing about Ava being taken by Vincent. Nothing about Vincent’s attack, either. 

“You didn’t know the attack was coming at all?” Ava sounded surprised.

“No.” Beatrice raised an eyebrow. “I’m not omnipotent, despite what everyone seems to think.” At the shadow of a joke, Ava smiled, lighting up her bruised and broken face. 

“I’m sorry I doubted you.” The smile vanished as quickly as it had appeared. “I… You… You just seemed so calm. And after hours with Vincent… I just…” 

“You have nothing to apologise for.” Beatrice corrected adamantly. “I understand. You’re not the only one who thought I sold you up the river.” She felt sick at the realisation. Did her family really think she was capable of something so sick? “I guess I’ve earned that, though.” 

“You sounded… Confident. Calculated, even. That was surprising, but I don’t think anyone here thinks so lowly of you.” Ava reassured her, though it did nothing to soothe the sickness in Beatrice’s heart. 

“I thought it would protect you…” 

“Well, here I am.” 

“Here you are.” Beatrice watched her carefully. “Yet you still don’t know what a scone is.” 

“Hey!” Ava’s beautiful laugh filled the kitchen, breaking the tension that hung around them. While her injuries would take time to heal, she was beyond grateful that Beatrice hadn’t betrayed her. That happiness, powerful in its own right, seemed to push her pain into the background of her consciousness. 

“Do you want breakfast?” Beatrice asked as she slid from her chair. Ava glanced over the inky, smudged notes, ruined from Beatrice’s late night breakdown. She didn’t comment on it.

“I think it would technically be lunch…” Ava mumbled, her thoughts already elsewhere. “But yes, I would.” 

“Alright.” Beatrice tried to smile but it still felt fake. While the tension had dissolved, both women were lost in their own thoughts, and weren’t entirely present as a result. 

With a hearty omelette and several slices of toast split between them, silence seemed to be the third guest at the table. At least until Ava found her voice again. 

“I didn’t tell him anything.” 

“What?” Beatrice barely heard her, she had been lost in a terrifying mess of her own thoughts. 

“Vincent. I didn’t tell him anything.” Ava sighed and set her fork down. “I expected you to ask me if I cracked, if I gave up any of our secrets…” 

“I knew you wouldn’t.” Beatrice whispered. Maybe  _ knew _ wasn’t the right word, though her statement was far from an exaggeration. When Ava had first joined, it wasn’t necessarily just her ability to pick a lock that impressed Beatrice. It was clear that she was smart, but perhaps more importantly, mentally strong. If Beatrice wasn’t harbouring such an intense hatred towards Vincent, she would almost feel sorry for him. Ava was no doubt frustrating to interrogate. 

“Really?” 

“Yes, really. Why do you sound surprised?” Beatrice met Ava’s dark eyes, an electric connection between the two of them that made her shiver. 

“I…” Ava didn’t continue. She reflected on her lack of skills, or perceived lack of skills, compared to the rest of her team. “I just feel underprepared compared to the rest of you. I’m not amazing at everything…” 

“We’ve been working at a high level, together, for years. I promise you’ll get caught up. But even now… I have to imagine you gave Vincent quite a frustrating experience.” Beatrice replied warmly. 

“You could say that…” Ava reflected on it for a moment. “He didn’t like being answered with a joke.”

“I’d imagine not.” Beatrice smiled, genuinely, for the first time in a while. 

“You really just shot him without a second thought…” Ava didn’t sound disgusted, though her surprise was obvious. The non sequitur, however, was unsurprising. Beatrice knew it was only a matter of time before Ava would bring it up.

“I did.” Beatrice kept her composure, unsure of where Ava was going with this. 

“Does it bother you?” 

“No.” Beatrice wasn’t about to lie. “He was about to kill you and he’d already hurt you terribly - I had no doubts.” 

“It’s just… Odd.” Ava wasn’t upset about Vincent’s death, obviously.

“Why do you say that?”

“I’ve seen you fight and I know you’ve killed before but… I don’t know. Do you remember when I first got here and you sewed up my head?” Ava grinned. “Some things never change.” 

“I remember.”

“And we talked about your penchant for fighting? And you told me that you’d explain further if I passed my test?” Ava continued, though it was unnecessary. They both remembered that day with sparkling clarity.

“Again, I remember.” 

“One of the first things that struck me was how gentle you were.” Ava concluded. “I’ve noticed it several times since then, too.” She threaded her fingers around Beatrice’s. “It’s just hard for me to believe that these are instruments of murder.”

“Oh…” Beatrice didn’t know how to respond, though her cheeks blushed violently under the weight of the compliment. 

“Who sounds surprised now?” A crooked grin crossed Ava’s face and made Beatrice’s heart pound. 

“I do, I suppose.” Beatrice could still feel her cheeks burning, but besides that, a coarse happiness flowed through her veins. “I’m so happy you’re safe. I don’t know what I would have done…”


	8. Calm Down

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> There's still a lot of work to be done.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sorry i dont answer more comments! i do read all of them (and smile when i do) but i have over 1000 in my inbox so it is both overwhelming and distracting. if you are someone who comments, i love you <3

“I think it’s more than clear that we aren’t out of the woods yet.” Beatrice began. The six of them sat in the lobby that evening, upon Beatrice’s request. “We’ve bought ourselves some time - your attacks on Adriel’s businesses will leave him with a lot of cleaning up to do. But it’s also put a target on our heads, at least, a bigger target than was already there. We need to decide on a course of action, preferably soon. I don’t want to be surprised again.” 

Camila spoke first in response. “You already have a plan, or at least the outline of one.” It wasn’t a question, Camila knew Beatrice too well. 

“I do.” Beatrice sighed, and met Ava’s eyes for a moment, hating to see the damage that decorated her beautiful face. “But I wouldn’t object to some feedback from my team, either. You may have uncovered something useful at one of the buildings you visited.” 

“Actually…” Lilith smirked. “I may have found something interesting.” She pulled a small stack of black, leather pocketbooks from her bag. “I haven’t had the chance to fully go through these yet, doubly so since they’re written in code, but I’m quite sure these are transaction ledgers.” 

“I don’t remember seeing you steal those…” Shannon whispered, staring at the stack of books. 

“Nor do I…” Mary agreed from her seat beside Shannon.

“Well, of course not.” Lilith looked at them both with a bemused smile. “I am a practiced criminal, after all.” 

“Man, I miss all the fun stuff.” Ava pouted, sliding lower into the couch and crossing her arms. Though it went unsaid, everyone was delighted to see her in a good mood. None of them were strangers to the effects that torture could have on a person, but Ava seemed alright. Relatively speaking, of course. 

“Beatrice, what do you want to do about Adriel?” Shannon inquired.

“We have three options that make sense, I think.” Beatrice closed her eyes for a moment and visualised the branching, logical paths of each plan. “We can kill Adriel. Execute a clean, simple hit. His syndicate would likely fall apart without his oversight, though that isn’t a guarantee.”

“What’s to say his absence won’t create a dangerous power vacuum in the city?” Mary questioned, rightfully so.

“Nothing. I can’t think of any way to guarantee that. This is the worst of our realistic options, however, it is both the safest and easiest.” 

“I can’t imagine that anyone wants that.” Camila muttered, knowing her family well enough to be able to predict their opinions. 

“I definitely don’t. What are our other two options?” Shannon wondered aloud. 

“Lilith’s acquisition of, presumably, ledgers will give us a head start. As we all know, Adriel has been involved in his fair share of unsavoury activities… Even for a criminal, there are few lines he won’t cross. With proper preparation, it would be possible to strip him of his assets entirely, leaving him destitute. Of course, without the resources to fund his legal team and other staff, he would most likely end up in federal prison.” 

“That’s definitely more attractive.” Mary agreed. 

“Yet infinitely more complicated.” Beatrice sighed. She was hesitant, more so than normal. Risking the safety of her team (again) was the last thing she wanted to do. “Adriel never holds events at his house - ever. There will never be a party we can use for cover, or even a small dinner. Only he and his personal security team are permitted on the property. Thankfully, Superion managed to find the address, though that only brings up a million more questions.” 

“Do you have answers to those questions?” Lilith wondered, but she had a hunch she already knew what Beatrice would say. 

“Most of them, yes.” 

“What’s plan number three?” Ava asked in a whisper. 

“In essence, it’s a bastardisation of the first two. We strip Adriel of his assets, but kill him anyhow.” Beatrice explained quickly. 

“Can I make an amendment to the second plan?” Ava sounded slightly more confident, which Beatrice admired heartily. 

“Of course.”

“What if we steal everything, but then tip off the feds ourselves?” Shannon raised an eyebrow at Ava’s suggestion. It wasn’t unheard of, for criminals to dob one another in, but it was certainly unorthodox. “We could easily collect enough evidence to do so. Plus…” Ava hesitated for a moment. “I’d rather die than spend life in prison. But Adriel should suffer.” 

“Agreed.” Camila nodded. Normally, she was the last person to wish violence on another. But knowing what Adriel had done… She felt less inclined to give him the benefit of the doubt. 

“Same.” Mary added quietly. 

“I’m in.” Shannon agreed. “I’m assuming that you’ve already begun planning this?”

“I have.” Beatrice answered quickly. “But we need to put a lot of pieces into play before we go to Adriel’s house.” 

“That’s never been a problem before. We’ll get it done.” Shannon sounded confident, like a leader should. “How long do you need to draw up preliminary assignments?” 

“A full day probably…” Beatrice found herself lost in thought. “Maybe less.”

“Do we have the luxury of a day or two off?” Camila asked, though not for her own sake necessarily. 

“I…” Beatrice wanted to say no, wanted to bury her complex emotions in her work. But realistically, Adriel would need time to fix the damage they’d done. “I think so.”

“Good question, Camila.” Shannon smiled at her. “I think everyone could use it.” Which was true, but Ava and Beatrice especially looked like they needed a good night’s sleep.

“Hypothetically speaking…” Mary began with a devilish grin. “Would we be safe, or at least safe enough, to leave the building during this day off? I can’t imagine there are forces mobilising against us right now… Yet again, we were caught off guard on fight night.” 

“Use your common sense.” Beatrice told her. “Maybe stick to daylight hours only and avoid any known criminal hang outs. Superion might have more information about their movements, though.” 

“What now, then?” Ava wondered. Sure, she was exhausted. Doubly sure, her body hurt like a motherfucker. But she was a part of this team and she was going to contribute. Especially since she wasn’t blind to the risks her family took to rescue her from Vincent. 

“Right now, you stick your ass in bed and chill.” Mary snapped. “Maybe eat some ice cream, or something too.” Ava didn’t speak in response, though her hearty laugh filled the room, inspiring a small smile from Beatrice. 

After the meeting, Shannon and Mary had a few words with Beatrice. Meanwhile, Camila fussed over Ava while Lilith looked on silently. 

“I’m so glad you’re alright.” Camila mumbled after hugging Ava for the third time. 

“I’m alright.” Ava grinned. She’d never had anyone who cared this much about her, let alone more than one. “Really.”

“I can’t believe you didn’t tell him anything.” Lilith sounded impressed. “You must be tougher than you look.”

“Hey! I’m plenty tough.” Ava retorted, making Camila laugh. 

“I’m sure you are.” She replied, then paused in thought. “But seriously, if you need anything, let me know. You’re sure you are okay?” 

“Yes.” Ava answered. 

“I’m not sure she’s the one you need to be worried about…” Lilith muttered, as their eyes all turned towards Beatrice. 

Ava watched Beatrice carefully as she spoke. Lilith was right, of course, something was off. Even from a distance, Ava could tell. Between the bags that hung under her eyes and the obvious tension in her muscles, it was clear she was anything but okay. Shannon and Mary were trying to set her at ease with whatever they were talking about, but it wasn’t working. It wasn’t even close to working. 

Upon returning to Beatrice’s apartment, Ava watched her flit about nervously. “What do you want for dinner?” Beatrice asked as she organised the mess of files that coated the counter. 

“Beatrice.” Ava’s voice was serious. “Can you look at me for a moment?” 

“What? Why?” 

“You need to calm down, okay?” Ava took Beatrice’s shadowed face in her hands and forced eye contact between them.

“I am calm.” Beatrice replied, though her body language told a different story. 

“I’m serious.”

“Ava, stop.” Beatrice pulled her face away and turned back towards her work. “I should be taking care of you, alright? And I need to start planning immediately. I’m not going to let anyone get hurt again.” Her hands shook as she shuffled through a stack of transcripts. 

“I assumed that when Camila asked about a few days off, she meant for  _ all  _ of us.” Ava said pointedly. She loved Beatrice, but she could be incredibly stubborn sometimes. 

“Why?” Beatrice didn’t look up from her work, for fear her facial expression would give her away. 

“Don’t play stupid with me.” Ava did her best to look intimidating, though admittedly, the attempt fell short. 

“Ava, please.” Beatrice finally looked at Ava, though it only summoned a fresh wave of guilt. “This is what needs to be done to be successful.” 

“No. It’s not.” Ava was adamant. “Do you remember a couple days ago when you couldn’t find anything in the transcripts and then I made you sleep?” 

“Yes.” Beatrice knew where Ava was heading with this. 

“And then you slept and started finding lots of details you missed before?” 

“Yes.” 

“This is the same.” Ava was clearly satisfied with her argument. 

“No it’s not.” Beatrice refused to concede. “This will be a much bigger operation. Not to mention, riskier.”

“All the more reason that you should be taking care of yourself! I mean, look at you!” Ava gestured to Beatrice’s face. Albeit, her face was still beautiful, but it was clear she was exhausted. “I don’t want this tired hag planning our life or death job!” 

“Hey…” Beatrice hung her head. She knew Ava was right. “I’m sorry.” 

“I don’t want you to apologise, I just want you to take a day, just a day.” Ava whispered.

“But I am sorry.” Beatrice repeated. “I am just… Letting my emotions blind me from seeing the bigger picture. When Vincent took…” She choked on her words. “You were hurt, distrustful, because of my sudden callousness - even if it was fake. Yet now, it seems I’ve fallen to the other end of the spectrum, in fear of hurting you again. So I’m sorry.” 

“Thank you for apologising.” Ava kissed her gently. “Now, I am very hurt and I require two important things from you.” 

“Which are?” Beatrice would get Ava whatever she wanted and more.

“Wait, actually three things…” Ava counted off on her fingers. “Three things.”

“Are you going to tell me what they are?” 

“Chinese food. And ice cream.” Ava answered, making Beatrice smile. 

“What’s the third thing?” 

“You have to cuddle me. And you’re not allowed to leave my side the entire night, though I will allow you to choose a movie.”

“Is that all?” Beatrice raised an amused eyebrow. 

“That’s all.” Ava grinned, evidently pleased with herself. 

“For safety reasons, we can’t order food to this building, but I can run out and get what you need.” Beatrice told her, already crossing the room to get her coat. 

“Can I come with you?” Ava asked, unwilling to let Beatrice out of her sight. 

“I’d prefer you didn’t…” Her injuries weren’t exactly lowkey. “I’m worried you would draw too much attention… I’m sorry. I’ll be back as fast as I can, I promise.” 

“Okay, okay.” Ava agreed without argument. While it was unfortunate, Beatrice wasn’t wrong. Plus, Ava was more than a little reluctant to not only put real clothes back on, but also venture out into the cold. 

“I promise I’ll be back soon.” Beatrice laid a gentle kiss on Ava’s forehead, before strapping a holstered gun across her chest and covering it with a coat. “I love you.” She whispered as she stood in the doorway. 

“I love you too.” Ava answered quietly.


	9. No More Apologies

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ava and Beatrice spend some much needed downtime together.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> im not sure if i love this chapter or hate it... you can roast me in the comments if it sucks

Beatrice closed the car door sharply. Her icy breath hung in the air as she walked into the grocery store. As much as she tried not to, she was nervous - borderline paranoid. It was highly unlikely that anyone was following her, but she felt on edge all the same. With hurried steps she headed for the frozen goods. All the while, she kept one hand on her pistol. 

As she examined the selection through the opaque freezer, Beatrice realised two things. The first, she had no idea what flavour of ice cream Ava liked. Secondly, and much more urgent, there was a man walking towards her. Not past her, towards her, that much was obvious. With an inconspicuous turn of her foot, she prepared herself to fight. 

“Hi!” The man smiled widely as he approached, throwing Beatrice entirely off guard. He seemed not only harmless, but friendly. “Sorry, I know this is weird. But where did you get that jacket? My wife’s birthday is coming up!” 

“I…” She hesitated as her brain caught up with her instincts. “There’s a shop on Oak Street, just inland from the lake.” Beatrice looked at the label within her sleeve. “Third storefront inside the main shopping area.” 

“Thank you so much!” He gave her a cheerful wave and continued his shopping. Beatrice didn’t reply, instead allowing herself an embarrassed sigh. She wasn’t normally this jumpy, what was different this time? Of course, Beatrice already knew the answer, even if she didn’t want to acknowledge it. Hurriedly, she chose a selection of flavours and headed for the registers. Maybe if she moved quickly, she could avoid the panic that seemed to be threatening her ability to think logically.

Fifteen minutes later, Beatrice was waiting in line at the Chinese place, no closer to relaxed than she was before. In a weak attempt at distraction, she punched out a quick text to Ava. 

Beatrice:  _ Small benefit of the cold - ice cream won’t melt in the car.  _

Ava:  _ YES! what flavor? _

Beatrice:  _ I realised I didn’t know what you liked, so I got a selection. _

Ava:  _ love you <3 _

She smiled at her phone screen and the nervous shake in her hands seemed to subside for a moment. The moment was short lived, though, since Beatrice flinched when they called out her order. Uncharacteristically flustered, she grabbed the bag and headed out to the car. On the short drive home she tried to compose herself, which was semi-successful. At best. 

“You look like you’ve seen a ghost.” Ava stood as Beatrice re-entered the apartment a few minutes later. “Did something happen?” The worry on her face was painfully evident. 

“No.” Beatrice answered, too sharp. With quick strides she crossed the room and put the ice cream in the freezer. 

“There’s something you’re not saying.” Ava whispered as she withdrew the Chinese food from the bag.

“There’s not.” Beatrice answered, though it was immediately hollow. “Nothing substantive, anyhow.” She sighed and closed her eyes, massaging the bridge of her nose. “Nothing that matters.” Beatrice added in a tiny whisper. 

“You have to know I’m not satisfied with that answer.” Ava mumbled through a mouthful of food. Her calmness after all that had happened was admirable, though Beatrice was unable to emulate it. 

“I’m just nervous.” Beatrice admitted a shadow of the truth.

“Just.” Ava echoed with a raised eyebrow. Beatrice didn’t reply immediately. Instead, she walked over to the couch, food in hand. 

“What are we watching?” 

“Don’t change the subject on me.” Ava sat beside her. “You would be frustrated if I did that to you.” 

“I’m sorry.” 

“Don’t apologise, please.” Ava grabbed her hand. “Just talk to me.” Beatrice stared at Ava for a moment as time seemed to stretch between them. The bubble burst, however, when Beatrice burst into tears. She buried her face in her hands as she wept. It was the hardest she’d cried in her entire life - and not by a close margin. Even Ava’s gentle embrace did little to quell the storm that raged within.

“I’m sorry.” Beatrice managed to choke after several minutes. “I was so scared. Terrified I’d lost you.” She raised her head and met Ava’s gaze. “And you spent all that time getting… You thought… I betrayed you…” Her voice began to crack as fresh tears darkened her shirt. 

“I’m right here.” Ava whispered as she held Beatrice tightly. “I’m here, okay?” 

“Promise?” She asked in a tiny voice. Ava had never heard Beatrice sound so unsure.

“I promise.” 

Beatrice hastily wiped the tears from her flushed face. “I’m sorry. For crying.” 

“Stop apologising! You can’t keep deferring your emotions like this!” Ava raised her voice, but her tone couldn’t be further from anger. “You’re tearing yourself apart.” 

“I know.”

“How can I help you?” Ava’s question caught Beatrice off guard. It wasn’t even close to what she was expecting. 

“What?” 

“How can I help you?” She repeated herself. “And don’t say that you don’t need help, because it’s clear that you do.” Ava had an uncanny ability to predict what Beatrice was going to say. 

“I don’t…” Beatrice paused. “Just be here. With me.” A heavy sigh escaped her lips. “I’m not going to be able to calmly and rationally plan an operation of this calibre if I’m…  _ Like this. _ ”

“That’s what I’ve been trying to say.” Ava muttered with a crooked grin, though her eyes were wet too. 

“I know. I’m sorry that I haven’t been able to hear you.” Beatrice leaned back against the couch and took several deep breaths. This time, they actually reached her chest. Oddly enough, she felt better after crying. 

“I don’t want any more apologies tonight. Seriously. You’ve used up your quota.” Ava retrieved their food from the table. “Now we are going to eat and cuddle. Understood?” 

“I like it when you take charge…” Beatrice mumbled a few minutes later, eliciting a burning blush from Ava. 

“Don’t say things like that while I’m eating!” Ava chastised her with a mouth full of noodles.

“Sorry, sorry.” Beatrice laughed, her frustrations melted away for the minute. 

“No more apologies!” 

“Okay.” Beatrice held up her hands in surrender. “No more apologies.” She stood up from the couch with a yawn. “I’m going to go change into my pajamas. Do you want me to bring you a jumper?” Beatrice asked gently. While Ava was already pajama-clad, she was wearing only a t-shirt. Of course, Beatrice’s motivation was twofold. Yes, Ava was nearly always cold. But Beatrice also hated seeing the bruises that decorated her skin. 

“A jumper…” Ava giggled. “Yes, please.” Beatrice rolled her eyes and headed upstairs. With efficient speed, she pulled off her clothes and changed into her pajamas. After grabbing a sweater for Ava, she headed back down. 

“Is this okay?” Beatrice held up the hoodie that she knew was Ava’s favourite. 

“You know it is.” Ava smiled, lighting up the room. Or at least, Beatrice’s perception of the room. “Now. We need to have a serious talk.” 

“Oh?” At this point in their relationship, Beatrice recognised Ava’s fake seriousness. “About what?”

“What flavours of ice cream did you pick?” 

“Oh!” Beatrice laughed and opened the freezer. “Like I said, I didn’t know what you would want, so I bought a dozen different pints.” 

“A  _ dozen?! _ ” 

“Yes?” Beatrice raised an eyebrow. “Why?” 

“Ben and Jerry’s is expensive! It costs like seven bucks each!” Ava exclaimed, while Beatrice stared on in mild confusion. 

“We’re both millionaires.” Beatrice whispered, since Ava didn’t seem to realise it. 

“Yes, I know that.” Ava shook her head. “But that’s not spend…” She stopped for a moment to do the math. “ _ Eighty four  _ dollars on ice cream rich! Plus tax!” 

Beatrice continued to stare, unsure if Ava was joking or not. “I have a Porsche downstairs…” Finally, Ava’s face broke and she laughed hysterically, as if it was the funniest exchange she’d ever heard.

“I’m just messing with you.” She chuckled once more. “Okay, for real. What flavours are we talking? I need to make an informed decision.” 

“Cookie dough, rocky road, plain vanilla, plain chocolate, peanut butter swirl…” Beatrice paused to take a breath while Ava looked on in appreciative wonder. “Coffee, strawberry cheesecake, salted caramel, cookies and cream, brownie batter.”

“You don’t fuck around, huh?” 

“I suppose not.” 

“Can I have the cookie dough one?” Ava joined Beatrice in front of the freezer and wrapped an arm around her waist. “Unless you want it?”

“It’s all yours.” Beatrice whispered as she withdrew the plain vanilla for herself. 

“Vanilla?” Ava seemed disgusted with Beatrice’s choice. 

“I like it…” Beatrice plucked two spoons from the silverware drawer. 

“I don’t know…” Ava made her way back to the couch, followed by Beatrice. “We’ve had sex, I’m not sure if I’d call it -”

“Ava!” 

“What?” Ava shrugged with fake oblivion. “You were talking about it earlier, I’m just making it even.”

“I can’t even deal with you…” Beatrice mumbled with a smirk. 

Shortly after their mandated ice cream and cuddle time, the two women found themselves in bed - much earlier than usual. Ambient light gave Ava just enough visibility to trace the outline of Beatrice’s face. She ran her hand along Beatrice’s cheek, before placing a gentle kiss to her lips. 

“I’m sorry I’ve caused you such stress.” Ava whispered, breaking the languid silence that had previously hung between them. 

“What are you talking about?” Beatrice’s voice was thick with exhaustion but Ava’s words were startling; confusing. 

“If I was a better fighter, or more aware of my surroundings, maybe Vincent wouldn’t have gotten the jump on me.” Ava explained quickly. “Like if I had thrown just one punch, it would have given you enough time to shoot him.” 

“Vincent is a skilled criminal. Or was, anyway. You don’t get to be that old without some ability.” Beatrice hated how cold and logical she sounded. “Please, don’t blame yourself. None of us saw it coming. You definitely shouldn’t blame yourself for my emotional breakdowns, either.” 

“I hate to see you upset.” Ava mumbled frustratedly. 

“I hate to see you upset!” 

“That’s how it is when you love someone.” Ava told her gently.

“I’ve never loved anyone before you.” Beatrice breathed as she carefully pulled herself closer to Ava. Partially for the warmth, but mainly for the comfort. 

“Me neither, but that’s what I’ve heard.” Ava grinned, though her smile was invisible in the dark. 

“I know what you’re trying to do.” Beatrice sighed. “You’ve been at it all night.” 

“What are you talking about?” Ava played dumb. 

“You’re being intentionally distracting. You don’t want me to think about work.” 

“Psh… No…” Ava exhaled sharply. “I would  _ never _ .” 

“Thank you.” While Ava’s efforts had been obvious, Beatrice was beyond grateful. Obvious or not, it had helped. She felt more at ease now than she had the entire day. Of course, that calm can always be ruined. 

“So…” Ava began after a few seconds of silence. “I’ve been thinking. When I was with Vincent, well actually before that… Though being with him really cemented it into my brain…” 

“Yes?” Beatrice felt herself tense slightly. 

“I think… Maybe…” Ava took a deep breath. She was clearly nervous, which was making Beatrice nervous too. “Our relationship has been… Non-traditional in literally every sense of the word.” 

“I’m aware.” 

“But I think… Maybe one day… We could be like Mary and Shannon?” Ava waited for a reply, but didn’t get one immediately, so she awkwardly continued. “I mean, not right now, obviously. But like…  _ Some day. _ Maybe soon, maybe in several years, I don’t know. All I know is that I’d like to share my life with you, if you’d have me.” 

Beatrice’s thoughts were racing, nearly painful in their velocity. Ava wanted to be with her? Married? Her mind was working so fast that sentiments came in disjointed fragments, rather than full thoughts. 

“Beatrice? Please, say something…” 

“Sorry. I…” At the apology, Ava froze, fearing the worst. “Can’t think.” 

“Oh.  _ Oh… _ ” Ava mumbled. That was a sentence, or rather a fragment, that Beatrice had probably never said in her entire life. A few more numb seconds passed, before Beatrice could utter a full sentence beneath the weight of her overwhelmed emotions. 

“I’d love that.”


	10. Swipe Left

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ava goes on a tinder date.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 9 whole people asked for this sequel to be written so i hope u are happy

A week later, Ava found herself on a date. A tinder date, no less. She breezed into a small cafe in a nice part of town, to find the handsome young gentleman already seated. 

“Hi!” Ava called with a grin as she joined him. “Sorry I’m late, parking was a nightmare.” 

“It’s okay, it’s only a few minutes. No worries.” He returned her smile, immediately taken with Ava’s natural charisma. 

“Thanks for understanding.” In Ava’s haste to sit down, she  _ accidently  _ knocked his keys from the table. “Oh, oh my  _ God,  _ I’m so sorry.” She bent down to retrieve them, taking a moment longer than strictly necessary. “I can be such a klutz sometimes. Doubly so when I’m nervous.” He laughed politely, without a hint of worry. 

“So…” Ava began once she was properly seated. “How are you today, Liam?” 

“I’m good…” He hesitated for a moment, then asked the question that had been on his mind since Ava first came in. “Sorry, I don’t mean to be rude, but what happened to your face?” To be fair, Ava’s face had healed considerably in the past week, largely due to Beatrice’s borderline obsessive care. Most of the bruising had faded, at least on her face, and her stitches had recently been removed. 

“It’s kind of a funny story…” Ava paused for a moment, as if in thought, even though she’d already thought about it. “I didn’t grow up here in Chicago or anywhere cold, really. Plus, I don’t have many ‘winter’ clothes at all. The ice has… Proven to be a bit more of a challenge than I’d like.” She laughed gently.

“Ouch.” Liam joined Ava in laughter once it was clear she wouldn’t be offended by it. “You’re still beautiful though…” He added in a self-conscious whisper. 

“Wow! He really went there!” Mary exclaimed with a grin in Camila’s office. The scene was oddly reminiscent of that from months ago, when Ava was proving her worth to the team. “Right on the first date too!” 

“Does it bother you?” Camila whispered to Beatrice from her perch behind one of the screens. “To see Ava on a date like this, fake or otherwise?” 

“No.” Beatrice didn’t need a moment to think about it. After her conversation with Ava about their  _ long term  _ plans, as well as the several subsequent discussions, she felt remarkably secure. “Although I worry for her safety, of course.” 

“Lilith and Superion are both ready to take a shot if anything happens.” Mary reminded her, though it did little to remedy Beatrice’s worry. 

“Thank you.” Ava giggled, a sound which Beatrice immediately recognised as fake, but knew Liam would believe regardless. “What do you do for work?” She asked a moment later. 

“Oh, I work private security.” He seemed proud of his occupation, as if he didn’t know what kind of man Adriel really was. Of course, maybe he didn’t.

“Woah, really?” Ava leaned forward and rested her chin on her hands - the portrait of feigned interest. 

“Yeah, I work for this eccentric rich guy. He lives in a huge estate just outside the city.” Liam launched into an explanation. “I’m not sure what he does, since I’m one of the lower guys on the team… Some of my bosses say that he is a crime boss, like in the  _ mafia,  _ but I don’t believe that. He probably is just old money or an investor or something.” 

“That’s really cool!” Ava did her best to sound both enthusiastic, but also a bit dumb. “You really think he’s deep into organised crime?” 

“There have definitely been a few odd occurrences…” Liam reflected on it for a moment. “But part of the job is turning a blind eye to any weirdness and just doing your job. You’re being paid to protect the property and it’s occupants, not to pass judgement on them.” 

“Has anything scary ever happened?” Ava’s eyes widened. “Has anyone tried to break in?” 

“A few times, actually.” Liam seemed oblivious to Ava’s fishing, instead he was genuinely excited to talk about his work. 

“Woah… What happened?” 

“We had a few groups of surprisingly well-armed men try to take the house by force. It was scary, but they didn’t really stand a chance. There are so many unexpected security features that they didn’t expect, we barely had to react at all.” 

“Like giant turrets on the roof?” Ava suggested, knowing full well it was a stupid question. 

“No, no.” Liam laughed, though thankfully, not in a condescending manner. “But there are snipers up there. Those are a lot more lowkey. Even if they did get in, I doubt they would be able to find anything. I don’t know many of the details, since I rarely go inside, but I’ve heard there is a ton of security protecting… Well, whatever assets the boss keeps locked away.” 

“That’s crazy.” Ava mumbled. “They really had no chance at all to break in?” 

“None.”

“If you were going to break in, how would you do it?” 

“Hmmm…” Liam considered the question for a moment. “You’d have to find a way to take out the whole security team, first. There’s twenty men between the roof, exterior entrances, grounds, and interior of the building. Plus I think our boss has a few personal guards too.” 

“That’s a lot of men…” Ava mumbled. 

“I know.” Liam agreed. “Honestly, I don’t know if it’s possible to break in.” 

“That must be because you’re doing your job so well.” Ava winked and sat back in her chair. 

“I mean… Not  _ just  _ me…” Liam’s cheeks flushed with nervousness. “Though I do try to work hard everyday… Sorry, we’ve been talking about me the entire time. What do you do?” 

“Nothing exciting, I’m afraid. I work in an office. No guns, no fighting. Just a bunch of computers and meetings.” 

“Well, she’s not wrong about the computers.” Camila giggled as she watched the video feed on one screen and looked at a floorplan of Adriel’s estate on the other, complete with notes from Superion. “What Liam says lines up, though we still need to fill in some of the gaps ourselves.”

“That was to be expected, he doesn’t know much.” Beatrice commented as she looked over Camila’s shoulder. 

After Ava and Liam made polite small talk for a while longer, she excused herself from their ‘date.’ “Oh, thank  _ God  _ that’s over. Now I can get back to my real work.” Mary muttered as she left the room and headed for her office.

“How are you?” Camila asked quietly once she was alone with Beatrice. 

“I’m alright…” Beatrice answered carefully.

“Don’t be angry… But Ava and I talked about your…” Camila trailed off, unwilling to say  _ mental breakdown  _ aloud. 

“It wasn’t… I wasn’t…” Beatrice shrugged frustratedly. “Don’t tell me you weren’t stressed about everything that happened.”

“I’m not trying to tell you that!” Camila pulled back. It wasn’t her intention to start an argument, far from it. “I just want to talk to you. As a friend.” 

“I’m sorry.” Beatrice immediately apologised. Over the last few days her mental state had improved, though it was far from optimal. “I feel as though I’m under a lot of pressure right now… But I know it’s coming entirely from myself.” 

“You’re right.” 

“I don’t want to play with anyone’s emotions and I don’t want anyone to get hurt.” 

“We’ve done dozens of jobs together without injury. I have faith that you’ll plan something that accomplishes our goals.” Camila gave her a gentle smile. 

“I should have seen it coming…” Beatrice stood and paced across the room, a newly developed habit of hers. “I should have predicted it, or even seen Vincent coming, or prepared Ava better or -”

“How long have you been blaming yourself for this?” Camila interrupted.

“What?” 

“How long have you been blaming yourself for what happened to Ava?” 

“Since the moment he laid his hands on her.” Beatrice answered in a whisper after a moment’s hesitation. 

“You couldn’t have possibly predicted that.” Camila pushed a stray curl from her face with a sigh. “And I think you know that logically.” 

“You’re right.” Beatrice stopped pacing and leaned against the wall. She needed to find a way to remain calm, or these next few days were going to be a brutal hell. 

“Does Ava blame you?” Camila inquired, though she already knew the answer. 

“No. At least, not that she says aloud…” Beatrice muttered, opting to stare at the floor instead of meeting Camila’s gaze. 

“Ava is an honest person. I think she would have told you, especially since I know you asked.”

“She doesn’t blame me, but she blames herself. Which is still my fault.” Beatrice knew that her logic was a mile from sound, but she couldn’t seem to help herself.

“I think you’re being too hard on yourself. But you probably know that, too.” Camila began, earning a nod from Beatrice. “Not to be blunt, but having someone you love kidnapped and tortured by an unhinged criminal who hates all of us is…  _ Fucking horrific.”  _ It wasn’t often that Camila swore, but it was more than warranted in this case. “You and Ava both… Hell, all of us, have every right to be messed up about this.” 

“Being ‘messed up’ isn’t productive. It leads to sloppy plans and illogical choices.” Beatrice muttered under her breath. 

“Yes. And you messing up our plans would increase the likelihood of someone getting hurt… Or worse.” Camila countered, though she was aware Beatrice had already reached that conclusion. She hoped, fervently, that walking through it with someone else would help.

“You say as though you think I haven’t realised.” Beatrice crossed the room and rejoined Camila behind the array of screens. “I assure you, I have.” 

“I figured as much.” Camila rested a hand on Beatrice’s knee. “But I’m trying to help you. To work through it, or rationalise it, or… Well, I don’t know. You’re one of my best friends and the smartest person I’ve ever met. I just hate to see you tear yourself apart…”

“Sometimes…” Beatrice began, as her throat ached with the threat of tears. “I forget that.” She finally admitted. “Thank you for reminding me.” 

“You’re welcome. But remember, no one expects you to be perfect and emotionless, okay? We’re all here to help - but you have to let us in. Trust your team, remember.” 

“I remember.” The irony, of course, being that while Beatrice expected her team to have faith in one another, she sometimes had trouble doing the same. 

“Is there anything I can do to help you?” 

“You already have.” Beatrice replied earnestly. “It’s been a hard few days. Honestly, I admire Ava’s ability to stay so positive through it all.” 

“Me too.” Camila agreed immediately. “You could really learn something from her.” She added cheekily, causing them both to laugh. 

A moment later, the door popped open, revealing a well-dressed Ava. “Are you two laughing at me?” She asked with a grin. “That was so awkward.” 

“I mean…” Camila exchanged a look with Beatrice. “We weren’t  _ not  _ laughing at you. But it’s not what you think, either.” 

“Should I be concerned?” Ava raised an eyebrow, though she didn’t seem stressed. 

“No.” Beatrice smiled, happy to see her. “Did you get it?” 

“Yeah.” Ava pulled a slim, metal case from her bag. Upon opening it up, she revealed a perfect press of Liam’s keys. “Did you get the information you needed? I tried to lead him without being too obvious.”

“You did great.” Camila replied, holding up her list of notes. “We got about as much as expected.”

“Can you believe he doesn’t think Adriel is a criminal?” Ava muttered in disbelief. 

“That’s not surprising.” Beatrice replied. “Adriel likes to keep a tight circle, like we do. The less people that know you’re a criminal, the better. Plus, it’d be hard to keep an illegal security force of that size.” 

“That makes sense.” Ava hummed in thought. “Are we going to have to kill all of them? I don’t want to question your plans but -” 

“No.” Beatrice interrupted calmly. “I have something more elegant in mind.” 


	11. Lucky

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Beatrice realises she doesn't have to shoulder everything alone.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sometimes i want to stop writing and just mysteriously disappear... but here we are again

“You did well today.” Beatrice told Ava as they entered Beatrice’s apartment that evening. It had been a full day of productive work for the both of them. As predicted, Beatrice’s plan was shaping up nicely, and the entire team was hard at work with their assignments. Still, there was an unresolved tension beneath the surface. 

“Thank you. I thought I was kind of awkward towards the end, but he didn’t seem to notice.” Ava replied while she took off her coat and boots. 

“I think he was too taken with charm and beauty.” 

“Ha!” Ava laughed aloud. “Be real.” 

“I am?” Beatrice stood behind the counter, regarding Ava with a quizzical expression. 

“Oh…” Ava met her in the kitchen. “I just… I don’t think I see me how you see me.” 

“That much is clear.” Beatrice kissed her gently, wrapping a hand around Ava’s waist. 

“What were you and Camila talking about earlier?” Ava asked once they broke apart. “It seemed like I was interrupting something.” 

“Well… Apparently,  _ someone  _ has been talking to Camila about my…” Beatrice paused, trying to find the words to describe what she was thinking. “Emotional instability.” 

“I wasn’t trying to talk behind your back! I wasn’t! I’ve just been worried about -”

“I know, Ava. I know.” Beatrice felt her eyes burn with tears, though they weren’t sad this time. “She told me to stop blaming myself for what happened.” 

“I’ve told you that.” 

“Yes. You have. I think… I don’t know, perhaps it helped to talk through it with a neutral third party.” 

“I’m not sure Camila is a  _ neutral  _ third party, though I get your point. I’m happy you talked. It’s good for you to emote sometimes.” Ava smiled as she spoke. Beatrice had been mercurial, at best, since the ordeal with Vincent - worrying Ava to no end. Every day was a little bit better, but that did little to ease Ava’s worry. 

“As am I.” Beatrice gestured towards the couch. “Now sit down.”

  
“I’m basically healed, do we still need to do this?” Ava grumbled as she sat down. 

“I don’t know if I’d say that…” Beatrice retrieved her first aid kit from the cabinet and met Ava in the living area.

“I think my cheek will have a scar forever.” Ava whispered while Beatrice carefully inspected her face.

“Probably.” Beatrice agreed. While the other gashes had begun to heal pretty well, the ugly cut across her cheekbone hadn’t.

“Will you still think I’m cute with a scar?” 

“Of course.” Beatrice didn’t need to think about an answer to that one. “Lift up your shirt for me.” 

“Are you trying to get fresh with me?” Ava teased, though she did as was instructed. Unlike her face, the bruising and injuries across the rest of her body were healing more slowly. 

“Does this hurt?” Beatrice gently pressed a hand to Ava’s upper chest, between her sternum and collarbone. It was here that Ava’s most severe bruising was located. 

“...No.” Ava mumbled, though the tense wince that crossed her face told a different story. 

“That was a lie.” Beatrice told her. “I don’t like the idea of pulling a job when you’re not back in perfect condition.”

“Do we have the luxury to wait?” 

“No. Not really.” With the gentlest movement possible, Beatrice pressed a kiss to the site, before standing. “Do you want to shower and get changed, then maybe ice it?” 

“Yes ma’am.” Ava stood, though she didn’t put her other shirt back on before heading upstairs. Instead of turning to start dinner, Beatrice found herself drawn to the sight.

Once Ava got into the shower, Beatrice ran up to change into her own pajamas - only to find them missing. Beatrice allowed herself a small laugh before digging up a different pair from deep in the drawer. The entire process gave her an idea, perhaps two. She reflected on that for a moment, before heading back downstairs to start dinner proper. 

With her mind a thousand miles away, Beatrice filled a pot with water and put in on the stove to boil. Next she pulled some vegetables from the fridge, laying them out on a chopping block. From within a drawer, Beatrice found her knife, though it needed a good sharpening. 

“Are you preparing that to kill me?” Ava asked suddenly, startling Beatrice from her thoughts. 

“Hm?” She turned off the sink and set the sharpening stone aside. “No, though I do have something I’d like to talk to you about.” 

“Have I done something wrong?” The smile immediately dropped from Ava’s face. 

“No!” Beatrice watched Ava closely as she took a seat at the counter. “I was just thinking… You stay here almost every night and you steal all my clothes.” 

“I would  _ never. _ ” Ava whispered dramatically, from inside Beatrice’s hoodie. 

“As much as I hate to say it, I think a shopping trip is long overdue. Either I need to get more clothes so you can steal mine, or you need to buy more clothes so I have something to wear.”

“Okay, or consider this…” Ava held up a hand. “We can do  _ both! _ ” 

“Alright. That works.” Beatrice couldn’t help but laugh. 

“Why did you start this conversation so dramatically?” Ava wondered after a moment. “I didn’t think shopping was such a high stakes affair.” 

“There’s something else…” 

“Oh?” 

Beatrice paused for a second, much more nervous about her second question, even though she was almost positive what Ava’s answer would be. “I thought you might want to… Move in down here? With me?” She ran an awkward hand into her hair. “Since you’re here almost every night anyhow, I could help you move your stuff down and -”

“I’d love to.” Ava interrupted, opting not to let Beatrice ramble on any longer. “I mean, it’s pretty much already our living situation.” 

“I know, but…” Beatrice trailed off, slightly ashamed of her nervousness a moment prior. “I don’t know, I was a bit scared to ask.” 

“It’s big of you to admit that.” Ava said with a massive grin.

“Now you’re just teasing me.” 

“Yes.”

Back at the office, Camila sat bent over her desk, carefully soldering components together. A knock at the door announced Mary’s presence a moment later. 

“Hey.” She held up a garbage bag. “These are all packed and ready for controllers.” 

“Thank you.” Camila replied without looking up. “Did you use varied tube sizes like I asked for?” 

“I did.” Mary gently set the bag next to Camila’s desk. “Be careful with those.” 

“I will. Thank you.” 

“Yeah…” Mary reached out for the door, then turned back. “How are you, Cam?” 

“Hmm?” Camila turned off her soldering iron and met Mary’s gaze. “Oh, I’m okay. I talked to Beatrice today - about everything that’s happened.” 

“And?” Mary, like everyone else, hadn’t missed Beatrice’s moodiness. 

“I think I got through to her. A little bit, at least…” Camila sighed.

“And how are  _ you? _ ” Mary asked, knowing that Camila had a tendency to concern herself with everyone else, putting her own well-being on the backburner. 

“I’m happy that Ava is still with us. My relationship with Lilith is going well… I am stressed about this job - but I reckon we all are.” 

“Absolutely.” Mary nodded. “It’s definitely an ambitious plan.”

“It is, but I have faith we can execute it, provided everything is ready in time.” Camila hesitated, then continued. “How are you? It’s been a little while since we’ve caught up, amidst preparations and everything…” 

“Yeah, I’m alright.” Mary grinned. “Beatrice’s plans have kept both Shannon and I busy - there hasn’t been much time for anything else.” 

“I hear that. Two more days, then we’ll have more than enough time to do whatever we want.” 

“Speaking of which…” Mary’s tone was mischievous. 

“Oh no, what did you have in mind?” Camila was jokingly apprehensive. “Not another game night, hopefully…” 

“No, no.” Mary chuckled. “We will have to celebrate Adriel’s fall somehow, I was thinking of a much more traditional night out.” 

“Whenever you and Shannon plan a night out, it always seems to go completely off the rails.” 

“Yes, but isn’t that part of the fun? Plus, these are the memories you cherish for a lifetime!” Mary argued lightheartedly. 

“That’s certainly… One way to phrase it.” Camila muttered, though in honesty, her memories of these nights were foggy at best. 

“Consider it.” Mary told her with a devilish grin. “I’ll let you get back to work now. Wouldn’t want any of these to go off before schedule, right?” 

“Definitely not. Thank you.” Camila replied, turning her iron back on while Mary retreated back into the hallway. 

“Beatrice?” Ava tried to get her attention. “Beatrice?” 

“What? Sorry?” Beatrice turned away from the dark window and back towards Ava. They were sitting by the window for dinner, though her food sat on the table, virtually untouched. 

“What are you thinking about?” Ava asked. It was obvious that Beatrice’s thoughts were far away from their prior conversation.

“Sorry, sorry.” Beatrice leaned back and tried to focus. “There are a few issues with the plan that I can’t seem to figure out a solution to.” 

“Do you want to talk about it?” Ava wasn’t sure if she would be able to help, but she was more than willing to try. 

“Really?” Beatrice didn’t want to burden Ava with more than her fair share of worry, considering how much she’d already been through recently. 

“Yes, really.” Ava put a hand over Beatrice’s and held it tightly. “I wouldn’t offer if I wasn’t serious.”

“I’m not sure how we should go about neutralising the snipers. I mean, killing them is always an option…” Beatrice sighed heavily. “But if Liam’s intel was correct, and they are an above board contractor, I’d rather not.” 

“That’s understandable…” Ava began. She knew Beatrice, and the entirety of her team, had killed before. But it wasn’t something that anyone took lightly, or with pleasure. 

“If it’s our only option, then we won’t have a choice… But I can’t help but feel as though there is another way, I’m just not smart enough to figure it out.” Beatrice seemed frustrated with her ‘lack of ability’ to reason through a nearly impossible problem. 

“Will our distraction not be enough to keep their eyes off one of the entrances?”

“Perhaps, but each man will most likely be facing a different direction. They are trained to focus on their field of view, no matter what is happening beyond.” Beatrice drummed her fingers on the table. “Even if we could distract them for our infiltration, they would likely be back in position by the time we made it out.” 

“We could wear vests?” Ava suggested, though she knew the idea was weak at best. 

“I considered that…” Beatrice gave Ava a slight smile, she appreciated the effort. “They would stop one bullet, but no more, not from such a high calibre weapon. If they chose to aim for the head… It would be over…” She stared out at the lake below, watching the gentle waves crest in the dark. 

“Do we know how many personal guards Adriel keeps with him?” 

“According to Superion, three.” Beatrice froze as a chill ran down her spine. “If three of us took out Adriel and his guards, the other three could climb up to the roof during the distraction and pacify the snipers.” 

“That would work!” Ava was enthusiastic, more so than Beatrice. 

“You, Camila, and I could take the office. I’ll need you to crack the safe and Camila to hack the computer. Plus, Camila and I are hopefully good enough fighters to take out his personal guard.” Beatrice continued, her eyes alight with ideas. Ava knew she was being modest about her ability to fight, but didn’t comment on it. 

“Are we going to kill them?” Ava asked timidly. She didn’t love her chances of fighting bigger and more experienced forces. 

“Ideally no, but if necessary, yes.” Beatrice answered emotionless, before continuing. “If Lilith, Mary, and Shannon can climb onto the roof unseen and unheard, they will have a huge advantage.” 

“Why?” 

“Most likely, the snipers will be laying prone, to reduce their silhouette from afar. In the few seconds it takes them to get up, they will have the ability for a brutal first strike.” 

“Oh, that makes sense.” Ava replied, though she wasn’t sure if it did. She wasn’t a good enough fighter to truly capitalise on a few seconds of lead time. At least, she wasn’t yet. 

“Thank you.” Beatrice sighed and slid down slightly in her chair. “That has been worrying me all day.” 

“I’m not sure I helped much, but you’re welcome?” Ava smiled. 

“You did.” Beatrice felt grateful. Between Ava and Camila, she had a lot of help today. “I’m a lucky woman.” 

“Do you want to get even luckier?” Ava asked with a sudden smirk, making Beatrice’s cheeks burn despite the cold. It was much later before she finally ate dinner.


	12. The Worry is Mutual

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Key preparations are put into place.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i dont know ok my head hurts and this is garbage but whateve

Camila’s gentle tapping across the keyboard filled the van. Meanwhile, Ava sat in rapt silence, watching quietly. In the front seats, Mary stayed ready, just in case a quick escape was necessary. Shannon was by her side, with a pile of weapons at her feet. Should a distraction be needed, she would have more than enough firepower to do so. Thankfully, that would only be used as a dangerous last resort. 

“Hm…” Camila hummed in a tiny whisper. “That’s interesting.” 

“Interesting in a good way or…?” Ava replied carefully. She felt useless. During this phase of the plan, at least, she basically was. 

“This isn’t the first time we’ve tangled with a private security firm. They all use the same encryption standard.”

“Is that interesting?” Ava was now perplexed, rather than worried. 

“It’s noteworthy, at least.” Camila continued to work as she spoke. “They all probably outsource their digital security to an outside firm, but it’s lazy. I’m almost surprised that Adriel would stand for something so weak… Unless…”

“Unless, what?” Mary asked, turning in her seat. The panic in her voice was barely disguised. 

“If it were me, I would encrypt my security system twice. The first partition would be relatively easy to unlock, but not so easy that it would be suspicious. Once that was cracked, I’d have a silent alarm that alerted me to the intrusion, allowing me to neutralise the target. Meanwhile, everything the enemy was looking for would be hidden behind a second partition, which would be significantly harder to crack.” Camila explained as everyone looked on with blank expressions. 

“Can you check for one of these… Partitions?” Shannon wondered, unsure if her question was stupid or not.

“Yes.” Camila worked as everyone continued to stare in amazement. “You don’t have to look so impressed, it’s literally cybersecurity 101.” 

“Yeah guys, cybersecurity 101.” Ava smirked, earning an eye roll from Mary as she turned back around. 

Shannon looked at the digital clock on the dashboard. It read _11.51._

“How much longer, Cam?” Shannon asked. Lilith and Beatrice would attempt to make contact at midnight - but it was Camila’s job to ensure they weren’t overhead. 

“Less than nine minutes.” Camila answered quickly. She wasn’t blind to the time. Should she miss anything in Adriel’s network, Lilith and Beatrice could be killed. Or worse. “Good news, I don’t think there is a partition.” 

“I don’t like this.” Ava murmured. Beatrice was out there alone. Though Ava knew she was almost hopeless to protect her, she wanted the opportunity to try. Should the plan go smoothly, there would be no need, but that didn’t keep the thought from Ava’s mind. 

“It’ll be okay. We know what we’re doing and Beatrice’s plan is airtight.” Shannon told her as she rested a warm hand on Ava’s shoulder. 

Beatrice crept alone amongst the trees. Adriel’s property was just outside the city, buried on a surprisingly forested piece of land. In some ways, this worked well - in terms of his defense. In others, however, Beatrice knew she could turn the environment to her advantage. Careful to keep at least a few trees between her and the house, she moved slowly. Every few feet, she concealed one of Mary and Camila’s homemade explosives, careful to hide the device. 

A shiver crept up her spine. Her jacket was made from mylar, though it was stuffed with ice as a failsafe. She wasn’t sure if the snipers had thermal scopes or not, but Beatrice wasn’t willing to take the risk. Somewhere amongst the wooded property, Lilith was doing the same as she was. Beatrice hoped she was staying safe. 

Her watch read _12.00,_ finally. With a deep breath, she withdrew the radio from her bag and flipped it on. 

“Are we in the clear?” 

“Yes.” Camila’s voice was slightly staticky, but completely recognisable. “Lil, are you online?” 

“Don’t call me that.” A surly whisper echoed on the line. Despite the gravity of the situation, it made Beatrice smile.

“The meatball is in the sauce and ready to rumble.” Camila told them - clearly referring to the van and her hack of Adriel’s security system. “Do you have an estimated return time?” From Superion’s intel, they knew the guards switched out at _12.15._ No one wanted to remain nearby when a fresh team began making rounds. 

“Five minutes or less.” Beatrice replied first. 

“Same.” Lilith echoed. 

There was no contact after that, just in case. Despite their brief check-in, Beatrice had advised that radio silence was the safest mode of operation. Even with every safeguard in place, it was always better to be safe than sorry. A grim expression crossed her face as Beatrice found a hollow tree to hide another explosive in. Tomorrow night was going to be crazy, and hopefully, successful. She didn’t think she could take another failure. 

As promised, Beatrice and Lilith emerged from the woods four minutes later. The van was parked down the street, to avoid being seen by any of Adriel’s security. With a quick knock, they were welcomed back. Gratefully, both women peeled off their freezing jackets and traded them out for more traditional winter wear. 

Mary carefully reversed before turning around, while Ava clung onto Beatrice in an odd effort to warm her up. “How’d it go?” Shannon asked, happy that she didn’t need to cause a violent distraction. 

“Exactly as planned.” Lilith answered, as Camila wrapped around her. “Thanks to Beatrice’s insane level of detail. I’m almost surprised she didn’t give me a map with every single tree on it.” Lilith continued, though her smirk was telling. 

“Hey…” Beatrice cautioned, though she was far from angry. 

“I’m happy you both made it back safely.” Ava mumbled before pressing a kiss to Beatrice’s icy cheek. 

“As am I.” Camila began with a grin. “Tomorrow should be an… Interesting day.” 

“What does that mean and why do I feel like I should be worried by your tone?” Mary asked as she drove. 

“I left myself a backdoor… Or two. It will help me with tomorrow’s distraction, plus it will definitely be interesting to watch.” Camila explained.

“You’re kind of terrifying sometimes.” Lilith breathed, only audible to Camila. Her tone made Camila blush furiously. 

“I’ve asked before, but I’m going to ask again.” Ava began, with a surprising gravitas. 

“Yes?” Shannon eyed her curiously. 

“Can we, please, get Chinese food on the way home?” 

“Oh my _God._ ” Mary muttered from the front seat. 

“Do you only think about food?” Lilith wondered with a raised eyebrow. 

“No…” Ava whispered cautiously. “I also think about Beatrice… Oh! And crime! Obviously!” Her wide grin was infectious and it wasn’t long before all six of them were laughing hysterically. Just as a family should. 

An hour later, Ava sat happily on Beatrice’s couch, eating chow mein. “Were you nervous?” She asked suddenly, making Beatrice look up from her notes. 

“Hm?” She hummed politely, since her mouth was also full of noodles. 

“Were you nervous earlier? When you were planting all the explosive devices…” Ava clarified as if Beatrice would have forgotten. 

“Not really.” Beatrice answered carefully. “At least, not about myself.”

“About Lilith?” 

“Yes and no.” She replied cryptically, earning a confused look from Ava. “Yes, I was nervous for Lilith, but I also trust her abilities. And I was right to, since she performed her duties tonight perfectly.” 

“There’s something you’re not saying.” Ava observed at once. Of course, she was right. 

“I hate when you do that.” Beatrice muttered, clearly frustrated.

“Do you actually?”

“No.” Beatrice sighed. “It’s… Frustrating sometimes, because my first reaction is to always keep what I feel secret. When you call me out on it though…” She ran a hand through her hair. “In an odd way, it makes me feel loved.” 

“Is this a roundabout way of avoiding my question?” Ava asked, though she barely disguised her smile. “But I _do_ love you.” 

“Not intentionally.” Beatrice set down her chopsticks and joined Ava on the couch. “I was worried about you.”

“Why?” Ava was watching Beatrice carefully, as if searching for a reaction. “I was just sitting in the car. Useless.” Her voice cracked on the final word.

“And if it was up to me, you wouldn’t have come at all.” Beatrice said, quickly, though she regretted it as soon as the words left her mouth. 

“What?” Ava stood up, clearly angry. “Why?”

“Strictly speaking, you didn’t _need_ to be there. You would have been safer at home.” Beatrice didn’t want to argue, but she didn’t want to lie either. 

“I didn’t _need_ to be there?” Ava repeated, shaking slightly. Beatrice had never seen her so mad.

“After what happened with -”

“Isn’t that my decision to make?!” Ava interrupted. “I’m the one who sat there for _hours_ getting beat and electrocuted and… And…” She choked on her tears and crossed the room. “I would have helped Shannon, if something had gone wrong.” Ava added in a whisper.

“I just worry about you.” Beatrice admitted quietly. She knew it wasn’t fair, nor was it her decision to make, but she didn’t want to lie about it either.

“I know I’m not as skilled as you. Or as anyone here…” Ava’s tears darkened the fabric of her hoodie. Beatrice’s hoodie. “But don’t you realise I worry about you in the same way? If not more, since your job is both more dangerous and more stressful than mine?!”

“I didn’t think -”

“No. You didn’t.” Ava interrupted once more. “You spend all your time thinking about how to execute the perfect crime, how to get revenge, how to… _Whatever._ Yet you completely ignore the effect that it has on those around you. Specifically the person who is _supposed_ to mean the most to you.”

“Ava, I’m sorry.” Beatrice knew she was, at least somewhat, in the wrong. Sometimes, when fighting with the person you love, being right isn’t the most important aspect of the conflict. Regardless of who was ‘right,’ Beatrice was trying to set her ego aside. She didn’t want to fight.

“Are you?” Ava’s anger seemed to be evaporating by the moment. It wasn’t a natural state for her. 

“Of course I am!” Beatrice threw her hands up in frustration. “And I can admit that I fucked up, again. But at the end of the day, I care about you. That’s what matters.”

“You’re not always going to be able to keep me safe.” Ava mumbled. “Sometimes, you’ll have to trust that I’m good enough to keep myself safe.” 

“I know that.” Beatrice hated to admit it, but she knew Ava’s words represented the harsh reality of their line of work.

“I need you to be okay with that.” Ava took a step forward, a reassuring sign. “If it were the other way around, I’d be overprotective too.” 

“Really?” 

“Of course.” Ava took a deep breath and tried to slow her racing heart. “Beatrice, I worry about you constantly. But I know that you can take care of yourself. I just want you to give me that same respect.”

“I respect you.” Beatrice whispered. “I’m just scared. If I were to lose you… I’d lose myself, too.” 

“I feel the same.” Ava finally closed the gap between them and took Beatrice’s trembling hands in her own. “Tomorrow night, we are pulling one of the most dangerous jobs you’ve ever planned. It will take all of us, working as a team, to pull it off.” 

  
“I know…” Beatrice pressed her forehead against Ava’s, savouring her warmth. 

“I fear that, should you spend your time worrying about me, it will put you in greater danger. More likely, it could jeopardise our ability to succeed.”

“You’re right.” Beatrice had let her feelings for Ava blind her to the logical outcomes of said emotions. “I’m an idiot.”

“No. No.” Ava almost laughed, but instead she wrapped her arms around Beatrice. “You’re anything but.”

“Seems like it, lately.” Beatrice worried that, if she were sewn together, her seams would be coming undone.

“It’s been stressful. It will be stressful tomorrow, too. But our preparations are in place. Now, we need to eat and rest. Hopefully, you can figure out how to worry slightly less. You’ve got… Twenty hours.” 

“I’ve done more with less.” Beatrice smirked through her tears. 

“I’m sorry for getting angry with you.” Ava apologised after a moment’s hesitation.

“I don’t think you have anything to apologise for… I’m the one who’s _fucked up_ here. As usual…” Beatrice’s frustration bled into her words.

“Hey. Take a deep breath.” Ava pressed a longing kiss to Beatrice’s lips. 

“That’s… The exact opposite.” Beatrice murmured once they had broken apart. 

“I’m quirky like that.” Ava hugged her again, then took her seat at the couch and gestured for Beatrice to join here. “Now, sit. No more working tonight. We can go over everything in the morning, okay?”

“Yes ma’am.” Beatrice considered protesting, but after their argument, thought it best to acquiesce to Ava’s demands.


	13. Shot Through the Heart

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The team storms the castle.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i dont know honestly

“I know no one cares, but this is  _ historic. _ ” Camila gestured to the phone in her hand, a scattered interface crowding the screen. 

“What am I looking at here?” Mary wondered from over her shoulder. Everyone was huddled in the van, watching the screens Camila had installed a few days prior. She had hijacked Adriel’s camera feeds, allowing them to monitor the estate from down the street. 

“The first app for coordinated explosions.” Camila grinned.

“I used to think Lilith was the terrifying one…” Ava mumbled, though she smiled through her feigned fear. “But it might actually be you.” 

“We can both be terrifying.” Lilith told her, though she secretly agreed with Ava’s sentiment. 

“Fair.” Ava conceded. 

“How much longer?” Beatrice asked, unwilling to get involved in the banter. She was tense and stressed, unsurprisingly. Whatever happened today, she knew she would do anything to protect her family. To protect Ava. Failure just wasn’t an option. 

“Three minutes.” Shannon confirmed, looking over the handwritten schedule, courtesy of Superion. 

Mary opened a metal case, with six custom pistols in it. “I had these made, standard order, untraceable.” She passed a gun to everyone. “And silenced, of course.” 

“Thank you.” Beatrice replied, while deftly checking the action on the handgun. Meanwhile, Ava clumsily tucked the weapon into her holster, stiff from disuse. She hoped she wouldn’t have to use it. 

“The guards are changing.” Lilith said as she watched the screens. A few minutes later, they would leave the premises entirely, and it would be time to strike. 

“Does everyone know what they need to do?” Beatrice asked, earning a groan from everyone. 

“Yes, Bea.” Camila laid a gentle hand on her shoulder. “We’ve gone over it a hundred times.” 

“Wait - I forgot…” Ava began. Beatrice gave her a hard look. “Nah, I’m just kidding.” She giggled, as did Mary.

“Here they come.” Shannon muttered as they watched a few cars exit the gate and turn down the street. “Give it another few minutes and we should be ready to go.” And they did. A stiff silence hung between them, as they waited. Going in too soon might lead to the old guards getting called back, which would complicate matters significantly. 

“Alright.” Beatrice announced. “It’s time.” 

On Camila’s phone, she typed a few quick commands. A moment later, a massive blast sounded from the woods. Nearby trees cracked and fell. From the screens, they watched as the security team panicked and began to assemble - abandoning their posts. 

“Next one…” Camila whispered, pressing another button. One of Mary’s custom made explosives went off. She and Camila had designed a few custom bombs that, when detonated, sounded like automatic gunfire. Upon hearing this, the team entered the woods. 

With the mansion unguarded, save for the snipers perched upon the roof, it was time to move. “Stay in the shadows.” Lilith advised as they scaled the brick wall that outlined the property. “The sniper is looking towards the woods, but probably won’t for much longer.” She added in a whisper. Once they had crossed onto Adriel’s property, Camila set off another bomb, drawing enough attention to get everyone to the door. 

Ava knelt beside the lock and quickly picked it. The press she had gotten from Liam had allowed her to create a set of lockpicks meant specifically for Adriel’s doors. They were inside in a few seconds. 

“Weapons hot.” Mary breathed, unsheathing her weapon. Everyone was quick to follow suit, although Ava hated how the gun felt in her hands. 

The house was eerily quiet. Liam and Superion had both provided intel about interior guards, but there were none in sight. 

“Either they followed the team outside, or they are guarding Adriel.” Beatrice surmised as they climbed the massive staircase. Meanwhile, Camila set off another explosion from her phone. She had to be careful in her timing. Detonate too frequently and the guards would return sooner. Detonate too infrequently, they might figure out they are being duped. 

At the second set of stairs, the group split into two. Mary, Shannon, and Lilith headed up the second flight towards the snipers. Beatrice, Camila, and Ava slowly walked down the hallway, towards Adriel’s office. It was a tense departure. No one wanted to break from the group, but it was a necessity of the plan. 

Just as Beatrice had theorised, the snipers were lying prone when Mary opened the door to the roof. While the first sniper tried to stand, Mary kicked him back to the ground, knocking him unconscious. Simultaneously, another sniper managed to get up and point his weapon at Mary. Before he could fire, Shannon pushed him from the roof. 

“Sorry.” She whispered as she regrouped with Mary. “I couldn’t… Take the risk.” 

“I understand.” Mary replied as they crept towards the other side of the building’s massive rooftop. 

Lilith, who had gone the direction around the eaves, silently dispatched a third sniper. According to their intel, there should be one left. Around the corner, she found him, staring into the woods. Another gunfire explosion went off and the man stood, watching the woods with an intensive gaze. 

“Hi.” Lilith whispered. He turned, with clear surprise on his face. She deftly knocked the weapon from his hands and bashed him aside with it. 

“Is that all of them?” Mary asked, as she and Shannon appeared behind him. 

“I think so.” Lilith replied, tossing the bloody weapon off the roof. “We should head back down to the office. Just in case.” 

“Agreed.” Shannon nodded. They hurried to the door, trying to push the loud fears from their minds. 

Ava picked the lock to Adriel’s office nearly as quickly as she had the front door - despite the much stronger lock. Carefully, she opened the door. Three massive men stood with their backs to them, closing Adriel into some kind of safe room behind the bookshelf. Camila took advantage of the opportunity and put a silenced bullet into one of their backs. He immediately dropped to the floor.

The bookshelf’s hidden door slammed shut and the two remaining guards turned in a hurry. Beatrice and Camila sped forward, kicking the weapons from the men’s hands in near unison. Ava stayed back, unsure of how she could help. Before she could consider the issue, another guard burst through the door and tackled her to the ground. 

“Where did… You come from?” Ava grunted as she dodged his flailing punches. Unsurprisingly, he didn’t answer. Though he had Ava pinned down, she managed to punch him in the nose, giving her a little bit of space to crawl away. With a bloody hand, he reached out, pulling her back to the ground. Painfully, her shoulder caught the edge of the desk, making her shout out in pain. 

Beatrice, despite her own fight, couldn’t bear to see Ava get hurt. She ducked under her assailant’s brutal punch and shot the guard attacking Ava. The moment of distraction, however, let Adriel’s guard pin Beatrice to the wall. He was double her size, and in the position he held her in, there was no possible escape. That didn’t stop her from trying, though, as she kicked at his thick torso over and over again. 

“Who sent you?” He growled, pressing a meaty hand to Beatrice’s thoat. Camila continued to trade blows with the other guard, though she couldn’t create enough of an opening to help Beatrice. Behind them, Ava slowly regained her footing. Time slowed down as Ava saw the genuine fear in Beatrice’s eyes. She knew it was her fault, again, that Beatrice had lost her fight. Clumsily, she pulled the gun from her holster and pointed it at the guard. 

Her hands shook. She’d never shot anyone before. A ugly ringing filled her ears, replacing every other sound. Moments later, she pulled the trigger. Thankfully, Ava had practiced enough with Mary that she was competent enough to hit her target. The guard fell heavily to the floor and Beatrice dropped to her knees, needing to catch her breath. Ava stayed rooted to the spot, frozen. 

At the same time, Camila took out the final guard. A second later, she pulled her phone out and detonated another explosion. It had been too long since the last one. 

“We only have three bombs left, so probably less than ten minutes before we need to be out of here.” She told them, while turning on the computer. 

“Can you open the secret bookshelf door remotely?” Beatrice asked as she stood, though her eyes were fixed on Ava. 

“I think so.” The keyboard clacked with impressive speed under her fingertips. “There’s a second hidden door.” 

“What?” Beatrice hadn’t seen anything like it in the blueprints or intel from Superion. “What does it lead to?” Camila shrugged and pressed a few buttons. The picture that decorated one of the walls flipped open, revealing an ornate safe. 

“That, I guess.” She answered quietly, before getting back to work. Time was of the essence. 

“Ava?” Beatrice crossed the room and pulled the handgun from Ava’s trembling hand. “Are you alright?” Ava turned to look at Beatrice, but her expression was blank, as though she were looking through Beatrice instead of at her. “Can you pick the safe?” Beatrice hated that she couldn’t help Ava more, but it was too dangerous. Ava only nodded, pulling her lockpicks from her bag and getting to work. Camila and Beatrice exchanged a tense look.

A knock at the door announced the group’s reunion. “Christ, this looks messy.” Mary muttered as she stepped into the room. There were four dead bodies, with thick bloodstains soaking into the carpet. “Wait - I thought there were only supposed to be three… Where’s Adriel?”

“He’s behind that bookshelf.” Camila pointed to it. “It’s a panic room of sorts. I’m trying to get into it now.” 

Shannon, Lilith, and Mary kept their guns at the ready, in case Adriel tried to attack once the door opened. “Cam, how much more time do we have?” Lilith asked.

“Eight minutes give or take.” She replied in an intense voice. “I’m going to open the bookshelf now.” Camila added, pulling out her own weapon.

“Do it.” Shannon instructed with her gun pointed at the secret door. 

Adriel had his hands up as the door slid open, surprising everyone. “What?” He inquired, with a surprisingly calm tone. “I know when I’ve been beat. At least when you kill me I can kick Vincent’s ass myself.” 

“We’re not going to kill you.” Beatrice whispered as she handcuffed Adriel to the mechanism that moved the bookshelf. 

“Wait what?” His odd serenity seemed to crack.

“You heard the woman.” Mary told him as she put her weapon away. “But I will shoot you in the knee cap if you don’t shut up.” 

“Here’s a bunch of records and proof of crimes.” Lilith announced, pulling a folder from her bag. “I’ll just set this here, out of reach.” She whispered, laying it on the desk. 

While everyone secured the office and carried out the plan, Beatrice joined Ava at the safe. She’d cracked it open, despite the noise in the room, and carefully packed it’s contents away. It would be safer to survey them once everyone was back home. The clock was ticking.

“Ava?” Beatrice pressed a gentle hand against her lower back. “Are you alright?” Ava swung the picture back into place, covering where the safe had been. 

“Yes.” Ava mumbled in a tiny voice. It was less than convincing. 

“Is everyone ready?” Camila shut down the computer, having gathered the data she needed on a flashdrive.

“Yeah, I’ll call the feds.” Shannon announced, pulling a burner from her pocket. At the mention of the police, Adriel stiffened, but didn’t speak. 

Quickly, Adriel was sealed back into the safe room. It was imperative that he wasn’t freed before the federal agents got there. In the hallway, Ava relocked the door. As an extra security measure, Camila fitted the door with a second lock of her own design. It had an electronic keypad, but one wrong code would detonate the device. Better safe than sorry, right? On the way back downstairs, she set off the final explosion.

“Groundbreaking, both metaphorically and literally.” She whispered in awe, while they crossed the courtyard. No one replied, though Lilith couldn’t help but smile. Camila’s genuine joy about her innovative explosion app was adorable. Terrifying, but adorable. Beatrice led Ava through the building and back to the van - as if able to sense her mind had somewhat drifted from the mission. Guilt soaked through Beatrice’s stomach as they drove away. She should have been better.


	14. Justifications

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ava and Beatrice share a conversation.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this update puts me over 400,000 words of avatrice fic :O

Ava stood at the window, a hand pressed to the cold glass. Downstairs, everyone was indexing the score from Adriel’s. Yet Ava had dropped her bag and darted upstairs without a word. Beatrice followed her, of course, and now stood silently across the room. She didn’t know what to do, or what to say. Several quiet minutes passed before either of them moved from the frozen suspense. 

“Ava…” Beatrice crossed the room with long strides and laid a gentle hand on Ava’s forearm. 

“I knew it was going to happen eventually.” Ava whispered, refusing to meet Beatrice’s worried gaze. “I knew that it would. You don’t play at this high a level and avoid killing forever. I just…”

“You didn’t want to do it.” Beatrice filled in the blank. She, and everyone on their team, had gone through a similar struggle. 

A struggle, of course, that had no easy answers. There is no way, for a healthy person anyhow, to justify the taking of a life. Not entirely, anyway. Sure, they might be a criminal, or deep into criminal activities that are even worse than your own. But does that make it okay? Or equitable, at least? 

“But he was going to hurt you. Or kill you.” Ava mumbled.

“It’s my fault.” 

“What?” 

“I was worried about you - despite what you said.” Beatrice’s voice cracked, her calm washing away. “I know that I need to trust you, I know…” She remembered their argument about it. “But after what happened with Vincent and I knew you weren’t fully healed and we didn’t expect the other guard…” A broken sob escaped her chest, despite Beatrice’s best efforts to be stoic. “I couldn’t stand watching you get hurt  _ again. _ I should have anticipated the guard, or fought better, or -”

“I’m not angry with you.” Ava had tears running down her face. “And I don’t want you to be angry with yourself, either.” 

“But -” 

“No.” Ava interrupted again. “If even half of what Camila told me about Adriel and his syndicate are true, then we’ve done the world a service.” 

“Camila hasn’t even told you the full extent of his actions…” 

“All the more reason not to feel guilty…” Ava breathed. Her body language alone made Beatrice’s heart ache. Her shoulders were tightened around her neck and Ava’s hands trembled violently. 

“May I?” Beatrice asked, reaching out to embrace Ava. Her girlfriend. A simple nod was Ava’s only answer. 

With strong arms, Beatrice held her close, as Ava began to sob. Icy wind whipped the exterior of the building and the dark night wore on around them. Yet they were fixed into place, for a minute, an hour, a day - time lost its meaning. 

“I should say thank you.” Beatrice mumbled. She continued to hold Ava close, with one hand on her back and the other tangled in her messy hair. “Thank you.” 

“I’d do it again.” Ava replied, lifting her head from Beatrice’s shoulder. 

“What?”    
“I feel guilty - despite what I tell myself in justification. I do.” Ava sighed, but kept her eyes focused on Beatrice. “But to save you? I’d kill a dozen men and more.” 

“Ava…” Beatrice repeated her name, unable to say anything else with the cold fire that burned through her at the sentiment.

“I know you would do the same for me.” Ava’s confidence was beautiful - and correct. 

“I would.” 

“Do you see me differently now?” 

“No.” Beatrice didn’t need to think before answering. She was the same Ava that she knew, the same Ava that she loved. “You’d have to do a lot worse first.” 

A tiny smirk played across Ava’s lips. “You’ve changed since we’ve met.”

“So have you.” Beatrice countered, though she knew her change was much more drastic than Ava’s. 

“I’m sorry.” Ava’s tone turned to gravel again and her face fell just as suddenly. 

“Why?” Beatrice was understandably confused. 

“I’m being overdramatic.” 

“Are you joking?” Beatrice’s frustration was poorly masked. “You  _ killed  _ someone today - for the first time. I don’t want to be presumptuous, but if anything… You’re being… Under dramatic.” 

“That’s not a word.” Ava deflected. Beatrice exhaled sharply before answering. 

“No one expects you to be fine. Not right now, not after everything.” 

Ava stepped away from Beatrice and away from the window, retreating into the living room. “I don’t know what I feel right now.” She sat heavily on the couch. “I’m feeling a million things and nothing at the same time. Does that make sense?” 

“I wish it didn’t.” Beatrice’s life hadn’t been free of the struggle Ava was currently facing. She looked on with a guilty heart. 

“He might have had a family…” 

“He didn’t.” Beatrice had the personnel files of Adriel’s guard. The man Ava killed had no familial ties. He was no saint, either.

“How do you know?” Ava put her head in her hands. 

“I have his file.” Beatrice muttered, feeling as though she wasn’t doing enough to help Ava. She was bad at this. “You could look through it, if you want…” 

“No. I can’t. Not now, anyway.” Ava looked up from her hands. “You’ve been through this before, what helped you cope?” Beatrice had been expecting the question, but the weight of it still hit hard. She sat beside Ava and gently set a hand on her leg. 

“At first, I was upset. Just like you are. More so, maybe. You had motivation, your lover in danger.” Beatrice began, earning a nod from Ava. “It was a colder kill, but still necessary.” 

“What happened?” 

“The details aren’t that important…” Beatrice looked out the window, at the lake that seemed constantly angry. “It was one of my first jobs with our current team, though Camila hadn’t joined us yet. A job went slightly sideways, there were more assailants than expected. One of them was blocking our path, weapon in hand. It was him or me - I couldn’t have fought my way out of it.” 

“So you did it.” Ava concluded, her expression was unreadable.

“I did.” Beatrice confirmed quietly. “Once we ran out of the building, I had to stop and throw up in the bushes a bunch of times.” 

“I… Can’t picture that.” Ava mumbled. Had it been a less macabre topic, she might have laughed. 

“It wasn’t a moment of refinement.” Beatrice replied. “I thought about it constantly, for months afterwards. But it came down to a simple decision, at the end. Either I become somewhat okay with killing, or I find a legit career.” 

“And you chose crime.” Ava couldn’t judge, she’d chosen the same. 

“Yes. But it’s not something I take lightly, nor does anyone else.” 

“I know that.” 

“There’s a set of rules, Shannon shared them with me, that I like to think about when planning an operation. Of course, when a job is going down, there is always some degree of unpredictability, but I try to stick to them as best as I can.” 

“What are they?” Ava asked, while laying her head against Beatrice’s shoulder. 

“The first, don’t take it lightly.” 

“Understandable.” 

“Try not to kill when it’s not necessary. If you can reasonably subdue someone with non-lethal methods, do that. It’s part of the reason we spend so much time training our unarmed combat, especially compared to other groups.” Beatrice explained, though she hated having to do so. Part of her wanted to keep Ava away from this. Unsullied. Of course, that wasn’t Beatrice’s decision to make. 

“I need to work on that…” Ava felt a fresh wave of guilt. She hadn’t even  _ tried  _ to pull the guard away from Beatrice, she had resorted to the gun immediately. Had she been thinking logically, she would have realised that she wouldn’t have succeeded. His massive size advantage combined with Ava’s existing injury would have created a dangerous situation. More so than it already was, at least. 

“Once you’re fully healed, I promise we can.” Beatrice lifted Ava’s hand and set it in her own. “Finally, it might help to remember that… Well, at least most of the time, the people we’re fighting aren’t good people.” 

“You could say the same about us.” 

“I know that.” 

“Nothing about this is simple.” Ava felt fresh tears sting her eyes. “This shouldn’t be our call to make. Who lives and who dies…” 

“I agree with you.” Beatrice’s heart continued to ache in sympathy. “And as much as I wish I could tell you differently, you’ll probably struggle to come to terms with it for at least a few weeks.” 

“I appreciate your honesty, actually. You’ve never lied or fed me falsities, you’ve always been honest. Even if I wouldn’t necessarily like the truth.” 

“I don’t like lying, least of all to you.” Beatrice’s voice dropped to a whisper. 

“I love you, Beatrice.” Ava breathed as her eyes fluttered shut. It was well past midnight and while she had a ton of thoughts to wade through, sleep had to come first. 

“I love you, Ava.” Beatrice replied, scooping Ava from the couch in a smooth motion. 

Ava barely stirred as Beatrice carried her up the stairs and into bed. With careful movements, she untied Ava’s shoes and took off her socks. She gently pulled the blankets over her before penning a note to leave on the nightstand. 

_ Ava,  _

_ If you wake up and I’m not here, I’ve only gone downstairs to check on everyone’s progress. Text me if you need anything, alright? I love you. _

_ \- Beatrice _

Silently, Beatrice padded back down the stairs and out the front door. In the lobby, she found her team clustered around Camila’s computer screen. 

“How is she?” Shannon asked, speaking for everyone when Beatrice entered the room. 

“She’s…” Beatrice didn’t know how to answer. “Asleep. Beyond that, I’m not sure. We will have to talk more in the morning.” 

“Tell her that all of us are here to talk, if she wants.” Mary added with a kind smile. 

“I will.” Beatrice replied. “What’s our status down here?” 

“Well, Adriel was a busy man.” Camila began. “He had more going on that Lilith or Superion could dig up.” 

“Really?” Beatrice was clearly surprised. 

“He was supplying one of the biggest human trafficking rings in North America.” Lilith told her gravely.

“With…?” Beatrice almost didn’t want an answer.

“People. Young women, mostly.” Shannon passed her a ledger that Ava had stolen from his safe. “Here’s a handwritten record of each transaction. He sold weapons, too, though not  _ just  _ to trafficking rings.” 

“ _ Christ… _ ” Beatrice whispered as she flipped through the detailed pages. There were a lot of names, a lot of transactions. A lot of lives torn apart by a terrible man. 

“Explains why the feds were so eager to get there.” Mary grumbled. She was right, though. Usually, it took them hours to respond to tips, but they made it to Adriel’s estate in twenty minutes. 

“His assets are well-secured, unsurprisingly, but I should have them open by tomorrow.” Camila reported from behind the screen. “We’re looking at upwards of a hundred million dollars - exclusive of his offshore and non-traditional holdings.” 

“I think we should donate at least half of it.” Shannon addressed the group. “None of us are exactly hurting for money. Adriel hurt hundreds, if not thousands, of people. Perhaps not always directly, but the damage he has done is incalculable.” 

“Agreed.” Mary held Shannon’s hand as she spoke, their rings glinted under the lights. 

“I can set up an anonymous donation, if we are all in agreement?” Camila suggested while she typed. 

“I agree.” Lilith whispered from her seat beside Camila. 

“As do I.” Beatrice mumbled. She held the necklace Ava made between her fingers, reading the tiny script that Ava had engraved upon the bullet.  _ We all have our vices.  _ It made Beatrice smile. Maybe it was time that they started having  _ virtues _ instead. “I’m not going to wake Ava up to ask her, but I know she would agree.” 

“She would.” Camila nodded and got to work. It was going to be a long night, but it could have ended so much worse.


	15. Unless...

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Celebrations are had.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i honestly wish i didn't write this fic, i hate how it came out. but at least its DONE and i can focus on other projects

Two weeks after the heist, everyone sat in the lobby of their building. Adriel was on TV, the huge flatscreen lit up with his face. It was the last day of his trial; a highly publicised and sordid affair. Apparently the FBI and the Chicago police department had been building a case against him for years. When he was delivered on a silver platter, complete with an extensive evidence file, it was more than enough to bring him to trial. There were several life sentences on the line, should he be convicted. 

An oppressive silence filled the room. Legal experts across the country agreed that the jury would likely vote to convict. But, there was always a shadow of doubt. Ava watched Adriel on screen. After only two weeks, he already looked thinner and tired. She felt no remorse, especially not after reading through his massive list of crimes. Beatrice squeezed Ava’s hand tightly, bringing her thoughts back to reality. 

“Any minute now…” Mary muttered from her anxious perch on the arm of the couch. Coverage had been nearly constant since Adriel was apprehended, but the news anchors promised a timely announcement. 

“Alright, we’re getting word from inside…” The anchor began, pressing a hand to his earpiece. Lilith watched with such an intensity that Camila almost wondered if the TV would crack. “Guilty!” 

“Woooo!!!” Shannon and Mary shouted in unison. “Fuck you, Adriel!” Mary added, pointing to the tiny man on the screen. 

“It’s over.” Beatrice whispered, audible only to Ava, before joining into the festivities. Camila withdrew the bottle of champagne from the ice bucket on the table and passed it to Ava. 

“Do you want to do the honours?” 

“I mean…” Ava’s wide grin spoke for itself, and she carefully twisted the bottle… Only to have the cork shoot across the room anyhow. 

“Nice one, Ava.” Lilith teased, with a rare smile. 

“I try.” Ava laughed as she sloppily filled the glasses on the table. A moment later, everyone had a drink in hand. 

“Cheers.” Beatrice began, raising her glass. “We might be criminals too, but Adriel was the worst of the worst. It should be a better city without him around.” 

“We’ll have to find new criminals to rob now.” Shannon laughed as the flutes clinked together. 

“Mmm…” Ava hummed quietly. “This tastes expensive.” 

“It ought to, it was ten thousand dollars.” Mary replied, completely deadpan. 

“It was  _ what?! _ ” Ava nearly choked, making the entire room laugh.

“If you got it, flaunt it.” Mary shrugged, leaving Ava both confused and bewildered. 

They turned back to the TV, bubbly in hand. Adriel was being shown walking down the courthouse steps, clad in the hideous orange prison jumpsuit. He looked miserable. The two weeks prior to today had been stressful at best. Would Adriel have a contingency plan? Would the feds come looking for them next? Thankfully, neither of these scenarios played out, a relief for them all. 

Of course, Ava had her own stressors. She was a murderer now. Or at least, she’d killed someone. It was harsh, yes, but she’d finally read his file. Beatrice was right, of course, it made her feel less guilty. Not that it erased any feeling of wrongdoing, but knowing that the guard had overseen dozens of human trafficked transactions helped Ava sleep at night. She didn’t know how anyone could stand to work for Adriel knowing what he did. That, plus the need to save Beatrice, helped her cope. 

After an hour, and two more bottles of champagne, Beatrice wrapped a gentle arm around Ava’s waist. “Do you want to take this celebration back upstairs?” She asked in a low voice, a sultry tone that Ava rarely heard. She followed immediately, slipping up the staircase. Mary gave them a quick wink, making Ava blush fiercely. 

It was dark when the couple finally came up for air. “Everything feels different now, doesn’t it?” Ava asked, panting slightly as she wiped the sweat from her forehead. 

“We’ve had sex before.” Beatrice mumbled, in an equal state of disarray. 

“You know that’s not what I meant!” Ava laughed. “But I do appreciate the joke.” 

“I thought you would.” Beatrice replied, feeling more relaxed than she had since their return to the city. 

Ava turned onto her side and wrapped an arm and a leg around Beatrice. “What’s next for us?” 

“I don’t know…” Truthfully, Beatrice could barely think with Ava this close to her, especially with the absence of clothes. “But I think we would all be well-served by some time off.” 

“I agree…”

“Do you still want this life?” Beatrice finally asked, once she regained some control over her wandering thoughts. “For yourself? For me? For… Us?” 

“I’ve never known anything else.” Ava answered, though she considered the question carefully. “Though I won’t lie, it’s been stressful.” 

“I know.” Beatrice ran a gentle hand across Ava’s back, savouring the warm contact between them. “You don’t need to make a decision right away.”

“Neither do you.” Ava whispering, making Beatrice stiffen and freeze. “What’s wrong?” In their proximity, Ava was immediately responsive to the change. 

“I just.. Didn’t realise I had a decision to make as well.” It sounded stupid, to Beatrice, saying it out loud. 

“Of course you do.” Ava pressed a kiss to her chest, to her collarbone, and eventually found her way to Beatrice’s flushed cheek. “Why wouldn’t you?” 

“I’m not sure I have a good answer to that…” Beatrice murmured. 

“Whatever you do, I do.” 

“Is that so?” 

“Yes.” Ava was resolute. “We’re in this together now.” She was still for a minute, resting her head on Beatrice’s shoulder. “I feel like, with Adriel, we did the right thing.” Ava paused, but Beatrice didn’t speak, sensing that there was more to be said. “He was a horrible person, running a horrible enterprise. And I’m not saying we’re good, because I’m not sure that’s the case, but we’re certainly better than him.” 

“I agree.” Beatrice told her calmly.    
“It will never be enough to erase the damage he caused, but I hope fifty million dollars is enough to prevent others from suffering.” 

“Me too.” 

“If we are… Ridding the city from the influences of syndicates worse than ours, are we good or bad?” 

“You think about this a lot differently than I do.” Beatrice didn’t have the answer to Ava’s question, in reality, it wasn’t something she’d even considered. 

“Maybe… I think I’d like to continue… Whatever this is. As long as we try to avoid hurting innocents along the way.” Ava concluded, cuddling into Beatrice a little tighter as she did. 

“We can do that.” Beatrice sighed happily. “After our much needed time off, though, okay?” 

“Of course, of course.” Ava lifted her head, a massive grin plastered on her face. “Besides, we have so much wedding planning to do.” 

“We… What?!” Beatrice grew flustered despite herself. 

“I’m just messing with you…” Ava kept her playful gaze focused on Beatrice. “Unless…?”


End file.
